Brazil’s orange juice exports closed out the 2017–2018 harvest period with a 29 percent surge. The data were released by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex), and compiled by the National Association of Citric Juices of Brazil (CitrusBR).
From July 2017 to June 2018, shipments added up to 1,150,714 tons of frozen orange juice concentrate, against the 894,669 tons exported in 2016–2017. Revenues amounted to $2.10 billion, up 30 percent from the $1.62 billion in the previous two years.
The US in the spotlight
“The circumstances helped the industry, but the increased shipments to the US really stood out, with a surge of 83 percent from the previous harvest period,” CitrusBR Executive Director Ibiapaba Netto pointed out.
Netto named two factors he described as decisive for the result. “The first was the aftermath of hurricane Irma in the US, which was significantly detrimental to the local production. Second, Brazil’s previous harvest exported less due to the restricted supply brought about the 2016–2017 harvest, which was rather low,” he argued.
The volume of Brazilian juice sold to the US is the highest figure in its time series. US-bound shipments closed out the harvest period at $561.7 million, up 77 percent from the $317.5 million observed in 2016–2017.
The outstanding outcome should not repeat itself in the next harvest, Netto said. “This year, we know the harvest will be lower than that of last year, and, at the same time, there’s nothing to guarantee that the US will buy the same amount as last year,” he noted.
EU, Japan, and China
Shipments headed for the European Union, the main market of Brazilian orange juice, totaled 675,070 tons, up 16% from the 579,556 shipped in the previous harvest, with a financial boost of 18 percent. In the period, the total shipped amounted to $1.23 billion, compared to a previous $1.05 billion. “If we were to compare it with the 2015–2016 harvest, however, we’d see a decline of 9.75 percent, which is alarming,” Netto said.
Japan, the main destination in Asia, saw a 54,635 ton growth in imports from Brazil—up 33 percent from the 40,996 tons in the previous harvest. Revenues, in turn, saw a 52 percent increase, and totaled $105.7 million.
China, in turn, also reported a 33 percent surge in the amount of juice imported from Brazil, with 39,372 tons, and 46 percent in revenues, adding up to $79.9 million.
