Brazil, the world’s largest producer of coffee, exported 2.39 million 60-kilo bags of the grain in February, a volume 33.3% lower than that of the same month of 2022, the employers’ association of the sector reported this Thursday.
The Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafé) attributed the setback to the timid rise in international prices and “climatic adversities” that impacted the harvests.
Meanwhile, income from exports had a year-on-year decline of 38.5%, up to US$505.9 million.
In the accumulated volume of the year, the volume exported reached 5.22 million bags, 25.4% less compared to the first two months of 2022, and a decrease in the same comparison of 28.8% in income, which arrived between January and February at the US$1,117 million.
The period between two minor harvests, impacted by climatic adversities in important coffee-growing regions, and the context of the international market affected the monthly result, according to Márcio Ferreira, president of the entity, quoted in a statement.
In February, exports were led by Arabica coffee, which accounted for 84.6% of the total (2.02 million bags shipped).
Soluble coffee sales already represented 11.8% of the month’s exports (282,870 bags), while the canéfora type (robusta and conilon) was responsible for 3.5% of the shipments (83,361).
Differentiated coffees, which have a superior quality or certification of sustainable practices, accounted for 20.80% of the shipments between January and February (1.08 million bags) and for 24.7% of the exported value (US$275.6 million).
According to Cecafé’s balance, the United States continued as the main buyer of Brazilian grain in the two-month period, with 978,334 imported bags, a volume 29.20% lower than that of the January-February period of last year and equivalent to 18.7% of shipments.
Last year, Brazilian coffee exports to 122 countries generated record revenues of US$9.2 billion in 2022, 46.9% higher than those obtained in 2021, despite the fact that the volume of beans sold abroad decreased by 3.1% (39.35 million of bags).