Brazilian agribusiness exports for the first ten months of this year have reached record highs, totaling US$ 36.2 billion, up 9.6% over the same period last year.
The latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that October exports reached US$ 3.7 billion, compared to US$ 3.3 billion in October 2004.
That is good news because it shows that exports have so far not been affected by reports of isolated cases of foot and mouth disease.
Soy led the growth in October, accounting for slightly more that 37% of total exports. The value of soy exports jumped 83%, reaching US$ 441 million, compared to US$ 240 million in October 2004.
Other strong performers were sugar and sugarcane-based ethanol (up 35.5%), cellulose and paper (up 30.2%), meats (up 28%) and coffee (up 24.8%).
ABr