Despite the European embargo against Brazilian honey, which was put in place in March this year, Brazil continues breaking export records in the area.
Revenues with foreign sales of the product in the first ten months of this year have already exceeded the total obtained in the whole of 2005. Revenues reached US$ 20.13 million until the end of October this year, against US$ 18.94 million sold abroad in the whole of 2005.
The study about Brazilian honey exports was developed by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) Agricultural Unit specialists and national coordinators of the Sustainable Integrated Apiculture Network (Rede Apis), Alzira Vieira and Reginaldo Resende.
The work was based on figures supplied by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) Internet System for Analysis of Foreign Trade Information (Alice-Web). The Secex is an organization under the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
Reginaldo Resende recalls, however, that in terms of volume, Brazilian exports of honey up to October this year have not yet exceeded the total for 2005.
Exports totalled 12,800 tons in the first ten months of 2006, against 14,400 tons shipped abroad in the whole of 2005. "Brazil will certainly equal or exceed this figure up to the end of the year," he said.
The consultant explains that the greater value of exports in the first ten months of this year when compared to 2005 is due to price increases on the foreign market. "There has been a significant improvement this year when compared to 2005," he said.