The leading product category shipped to India, accounting for 76.8% of the total, was the sugar-energy complex, at $696 million. It was followed by soybean oil, at $89 million, and vegetable-based chemical industry products, at $33 million.

“The excellence of Sao Paulo agribusiness reflects the depth and complementarity of India-Brazil bilateral trade, which reached $15.21 billion in 2025, with agriculture as the foundation of that relationship and the main driver of future growth, while the state of Sao Paulo becomes a clear example of that potential,” India’s Consul General, Hansraj Singh Verma, said.

For Sao Paulo Agriculture and Supply Secretary Geraldo Melo Filho, agribusiness exports have consolidated themselves through diversity and, above all, excellence, supporting a strategic expansion of trade agreements. “We have been expanding our presence in the international market with quality and competitive products, strengthening partnerships and opening new business opportunities. India plays an important role in this context and shows the growth potential of Sao Paulo exports in Asia,” he said.

Sao Paulo cotton exports to India rise sharply

Among agricultural products exported to India, cotton stood out, with exports surging 160%, rising from 5,000 tonnes to 15,000 tonnes in just one year.

The chart below shows the leading products exported to India through the Port of Santos, the largest port in São Paulo state and in Brazil. The data was obtained and processed by Datamar’s business intelligence team.

Top Exports to India | Jan-Feb 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Peter H. Burdzik, chief executive of VALIA Brazil, a company specializing in international commodity trade and consulting, said the state’s strength lies not only in production potential but also in its capacity to meet the requirements of foreign markets. “In recent years, Sao Paulo production has established itself as a reliable supplier to different markets. At the same time, this is a market that changes quickly, so prices and geopolitical issues end up directly influencing the pace of exports,” he said.

Marcella Wehrle, executive director of the Sao Paulo Cotton Producers Association, or APPA, said the technical expertise of the sector’s professionals is one of the product’s main differentiators. “The technical knowledge of Sao Paulo producers strengthens the competitiveness and sustainability of cotton farming. That combination positions Sao Paulo cotton as a benchmark for excellence in Brazil. These characteristics make Sao Paulo cotton highly competitive and valued by the textile industry,” she said.

Source: Sao Paulo Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply

DDGS, a co-product of corn ethanol production, was cleared for access to the Chinese market in May 2025 after Brazil and China concluded sanitary negotiations. In November of the same year, the first Brazilian facilities were approved to export the product.

As a result, the first cargo, totaling about 62,000 tonnes, was shipped and discharged at the port of Nansha in Guangzhou, southern China.

In the case of poultry by-product meal, used in animal feed, the first shipment follows the opening of the Chinese market in April 2023. The authorization allowed Brazilian product to enter the Asian country, expanding commercial opportunities for the sector.

The progress in shipments reflects coordination between the government and the private sector to open new markets and strengthen Brazil’s position in international trade in agricultural inputs and by-products.

Diversification gains ground in trade with China

The new trade flows point to a broader diversification of Brazil’s export basket, traditionally concentrated in commodities such as soybeans, corn and meat.

With the addition of products such as DDGS and animal-origin meal, Brazil is expanding its presence in segments linked to animal nutrition and the agribusiness value chain.

China remains the main destination for Brazilian agribusiness

China continues to stand out as the leading destination for Brazilian agribusiness exports. With an estimated population of 1.4 billion, the country remains a strategic market for the sector.

In 2025, Brazilian agricultural exports to China exceeded $55.3 billion, representing 32.7% of everything shipped by the country’s agribusiness sector.

Source: Feed&Food

“The expansion of agricultural production is driving the entry of new companies into international markets for traditional products, while also diversifying the export basket,” said Herlon Alves Brandão, director of the ministry’s Department of Statistics and Foreign Trade Studies.

He added that the adoption of new technologies and the development of new crops are also expanding opportunities in foreign trade, particularly for smaller companies.

Smaller companies lead growth
Smaller agricultural exporters (MEIs, micro and small enterprises) have grown at a significantly faster pace than medium and large companies since 2015.

“This is a very positive indicator, reflecting not only growth but also the formalization and professionalization of the agricultural sector,” said Felippe Serigati, a researcher at FGV Agro.

During the period, the number of micro and MEI agricultural exporters rose from 153 to 443 (+189.5%), while small companies increased from 191 to 434 (+127.2%). By comparison, the number of medium and large firms grew from 1,096 to 1,439, a 31.3% increase.

Smaller companies now total 877, accounting for 37.9% of all agricultural exporters, compared with 62.1% for medium and large firms. A decade ago, MEIs, micro and small companies accounted for 23.9% — a rise of 14 percentage points.

“This also dispels the misconception that only large agribusiness groups export. Smaller players can also access international markets, especially with additional support, whether from Apex or cooperatives,” he said.

According to Serigati, agribusiness is highly heterogeneous, and global markets offer opportunities not only for large companies but also for smaller-scale producers.

“It is not surprising that we now have more than 800 smaller exporting companies alongside this strong growth. We have heard many reports confirming this trend,” he added.

Support for small businesses
Jorge Viana, president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), said global demand for food security is rising, with strong dependence on Brazil.

“In addition to supplying commodities, the main challenge for Brazilian agribusiness is to expand exports of higher value-added products while including smaller companies,” he said.

Viana noted that ApexBrasil supports 960 of the country’s 2,300 agricultural exporters — about 41% of the total — a higher share than in other sectors.

Among the initiatives, he highlighted the Exporta Mais Brasil program, which brings foreign buyers to Brazil and has 27 editions planned for 2026, featuring tailored business matchmaking sessions with interpreter support. In 2025, these initiatives generated around R$1 billion in deals involving products such as specialty coffees, honey, nuts, timber, and pulses. “We conduct targeted outreach to identify buyers and bring them to Brazil,” he said.

The strategy also includes the participation of cooperatives in international events and trade fairs, as well as the Export Qualification Program (PEIEX). “Large companies reach international markets quickly, but smaller ones require greater support,” he added.

Viana also highlighted e-commerce as an entry point for small producers. “It is an important showcase and will continue to grow, although regulatory barriers remain,” he concluded.

Diversified export basket
The range of agricultural products expanded by 70% between 2015 and 2025. The number of NCM (Mercosur Common Nomenclature) codes increased from 225 in 2015 to 387 in 2025.

“This reflects both growth and diversification of the export basket,” Brandão said.

There has been greater diversification in fruit exports, including tangerines, almonds, nectarines, pitaya, and lychee, as well as an expansion in vegetables and pulses.

“Exports of seeds for sowing that were not previously part of the export basket have also gained relevance, including radish, castor bean, mustard, and cotton,” he added.

Outlook
Agriculture accounted for 6.9% of Brazil’s exporting companies in 2025, while the manufacturing industry represented 81% of the total, with 33,359 companies. Ten years earlier, the shares were 6.5% and 82%, respectively.

In revenue terms, agriculture increased its share. In 2015, sector exports totaled $35 billion (19.7% of the $177.8 billion total).

By 2025, this figure had more than doubled to $77.4 billion, representing 23.9% of the $323.6 billion total. Over the period, exports grew by around 121%, gaining 4.2 percentage points in share.

The survey considers only exporting companies within the “farm gate” segment, excluding parts of the agroindustry and other segments of the agribusiness value chain.

According to MDIC data, total agribusiness exports reached $169.2 billion in 2025, equivalent to 48.5% of Brazil’s total exports.

Source: Globo Rural

The move comes after China approved imports of Argentine corn in 2024 and amid a record harvest now getting under way in the country. Last year, China also purchased a rare shipment of Argentine wheat, the first in decades.

Between January and February 2026, Argentina exported 1,164 TEUs of corn, according to data obtained by Datamar. Colombia, the Philippines, and Morocco were among its leading buyers. Below is the month-by-month trend in Argentina’s containerized corn shipments, based on data available on the DataLiner platform.

Corn Exports | Argentina | Jan 2023 – Feb 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The cargo of about 34,000 tonnes of corn is being loaded at Cofco’s port terminal in Timbúes, Argentina, and is destined for China’s animal feed sector, the group’s trading arm said in a statement released on Wednesday (April 1).

“The cargo reflects the growing alignment between the two markets and provides an additional origin for Chinese buyers,” Cofco said.

The two countries have maintained strong trade ties under President Javier Milei, who had once pledged to scale back relations with Beijing if elected.

China has increasingly turned to South America for grain trade. Although the Asian country has bought millions of tonnes of U.S. corn in the past, it has also been seeking to diversify its feed supply chains.

That shift away from U.S. crops has accelerated under the tariff policies of President Donald Trump.

Brazil, the region’s agricultural powerhouse, is already China’s leading soybean supplier and saw corn shipments rise after Chinese approval in 2022.

This year, Brazil also sent China its first cargo of DDG, or distillers dried grains, a corn ethanol byproduct used in animal feed.

Meanwhile, no U.S. corn has been sold to China in the current season, even though exports from the world’s largest corn exporter are running at a record pace this year.

Original reporting by Dayanne Sousa and Jonathan Gilbert for Bloomberg Línea

The move is detailed in a document from the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense (SDA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, published in the federal government’s electronic information system. The document cites a meeting with Chinese authorities in which officials acknowledged that “it is not possible to attest to the absolute absence of weed seeds in soybeans, given the characteristics of production.”

As a result, the document says, “Chinese authorities understood and accepted that a zero-tolerance criterion for the presence of weeds will not be applied to soybean shipments imported from Brazil and destined for domestic consumption for industrial processing.”

The following provides a historical overview of Brazilian soybean seaborne shipments to China, measured in Wet Metric Tons (WTMT), from January 2023 through January 2026:

Soybean Exports to China | Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The SDA also noted that, as “there is still no official numerical parameter for tolerance, with the approach based on risk assessment and mitigation measures appropriate to the product’s destination, the tolerance level will be subject to bilateral discussions between Chinese and Brazilian officials.”

As previously reported by Valor, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture is in China this week to address the issue. Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro said on March 17 that Brazil will propose establishing a specific sanitary protocol for soybean trade.

With the agreed flexibility, the SDA document states, “certification of vessels is authorized even when laboratory reports confirm the presence of weeds, provided that other requirements are met, including the absence of treated seeds and live insects, until a tolerance level for weeds is formally established.”

Source: Valor International

According to the latest data, volumes could reach around 16.3 million tonnes during the month, keeping Brazil among the world’s leading suppliers of the commodity.

A report by Canal Rural notes that the result represents a recovery after a more moderate performance in February and reflects the progress of the 2025/26 harvest, as well as strong international demand, particularly from Asian countries.

Industry estimates indicate that soybean shipments in March should fall within a range of 15 million to nearly 18 million tonnes, highlighting the country’s logistical and production capacity.

The growth in exports underscores the importance of soybeans in Brazil’s trade balance, as one of the main agribusiness products and a major source of the country’s export revenues.

In addition, the strong performance is directly linked to the robust crop expected for the 2025/26 cycle, which could reach record production levels, further strengthening Brazil’s position in the global market.

Given this scenario, the expectation is that the country will maintain a high export pace in the coming months, in line with the peak harvest period and sustained international demand.

Source: Week 7

According to Cepea, the increase was supported mainly by a 3.4% rise in export volumes, as the average annual price fell 0.4%.

Among the products that posted growth in shipped volumes in 2025 were beef and pork, pulp, soybeans, cotton and corn. In terms of prices, gains were seen in beef and pork, ethanol, coffee and soybean oil.

China, the European Union and the United States remained the main destinations for Brazilian agribusiness exports. Shipments to China continued to be heavily concentrated in the soy complex, while exports to the European Union were weighted more toward forest products, coffee, fruit and orange juice. The United States, meanwhile, remained especially relevant for wood products, orange juice, ethanol, coffee, fruit, pulp and beef.

Data from DataLiner’s trade partner database, part of Datamar’s data intelligence platform, show China as the main destination for Brazil’s containerized exports, with 40,275 TEUs, up 4%, while the United States ranks second with 20,885 TEUs, but down 34%.

According to Datamar, Brazil’s main exports to China in January 2026 included frozen beef (7,780 TEUs, up 4.8%), cotton (7,043 TEUs, up 79.5%), and chemical wood pulp (6,954 TEUs, up 47%).

The chart below uses data extracted from DataLiner to compare the volume of containers exported to Brazil’s two main trading partners since January 2023:

Exports to the U.S. and China | Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Despite the record performance in 2025, the start of 2026 has been surrounded by uncertainty for the sector. While Southern Hemisphere producers finish harvesting the summer crop and move forward with planting the new cycle, market participants are also tracking the effects of the conflict in the Middle East on global logistics and input costs.

According to Cepea, the escalation in tensions has already pushed oil prices higher and complicated logistics operations. The possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz is seen as one of the main concerns, as it is a strategic route for the international trade in energy and fertilizers. According to the research center, about 30% of fertilizers traded globally, especially nitrogen-based products, pass through the region.

In this environment, Brazilian companies in the fertilizer sector have been staying out of the market and avoiding publishing prices while waiting for greater clarity on the conflict’s developments, according to Cepea.

Iran, in turn, gained weight in purchases of Brazilian corn throughout 2025. Secex data show that the country was the main destination for the cereal last year, importing 9 million tonnes, nearly double the 4.33 million tonnes recorded in 2024. Even so, because Brazilian corn shipments usually gain momentum in the second half of the year, the market is for now monitoring the possible effects for the coming months.

In the case of chicken meat, the Middle East remains a strategic region for Brazil. In 2025, the bloc accounted for nearly 25% of Brazilian shipments of the protein. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia ranked first and third, respectively, among the leading destinations for Brazilian chicken exports.

Together, the two countries received more than 877,000 tonnes in 2025, equivalent to more than 12.6% of Brazil’s total export volume, according to data compiled by Cepea.

Source: Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (Cepea)

The company does not disclose projections for this year, but it believes rail transport is likely to remain strategic for farmers at a time when margins are under pressure from market conditions, worsened by the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on on-farm production costs.

“Regarding the conflict, from the standpoint of our customer, the producer, we have been monitoring a scenario of increasingly tighter margins, and fuel costs are certainly one of the main factors affecting this. That makes logistics efficiency even more necessary,” VLI told Valor.

“In this context, the role of rail is to ensure competitiveness in long-distance transport, playing a fundamental role in protecting producers’ profitability,” the company added.

According to Carolina Hernandez Tascon, VLI’s commercial director, growth in Brazilian grain output is another factor that could support the company’s results.

“The expectation from the National Supply Company for this year is that the crop will reach 353.4 million tonnes, representing growth of 0.3% compared with the 2024/25 season. VLI does not make projections, but we always seek to track movements in production and commercialization, the two variables that shape our expectations,” Tascon told Valor.

According to the executive, last year’s results stemmed not only from stronger demand, but also from the return on investments made by the company.

Over the past two years, VLI has invested around 7 billion reais in its integrated multimodal system. This ranges from equipment used to unload trucks at terminals, to railway and wagon inspection systems, to shiploaders at ports. Since 2024, the company has acquired 27 locomotives, requiring investment of 600 million reais.

Source: Globo Rural

The previous record had been set by the vessel Akra on Jan. 26 this year, with 49,448 tonnes handled. “These consecutive records are only possible because of the increase in draft, which allows us to receive increasingly heavily loaded vessels,” said Portos do Parana Chief Executive Luiz Fernando Garcia.

Ongoing dredging work and investment made it possible to increase the operational draft, which is the distance between the water surface and the deepest point of a vessel. A deeper draft allows ships to carry more cargo on a single voyage, expanding the port’s operating capacity and reducing logistics costs.

In less than a year, the state-run company obtained two authorizations to increase draft, the result of continuous planning and execution work. In December 2024, draft increased from 12.8 meters to 13.1 meters, and in September 2025 to 13.3 meters. The additional 50 centimeters allowed, for example, an extra 3,700 tonnes to be loaded per vessel.

Barley throughput rises

Barley, the main raw material used in traditional beer, posted 34% growth in throughput at Parana’s ports. Comparing the first two months of 2025 with the same period in 2026, volume rose from 123,404 tonnes to 165,338 tonnes.

In addition to malt production, the grain is also used for human consumption and in animal feed. “Although Parana is Brazil’s largest barley producer, domestic demand is high, and the state remains one of the main destinations for the product,” said Portos do Parana Ports Operations Director Gabriel Vieira.

Parana as a brewing hub

According to the latest data from Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Parana had 174 registered breweries in 2024, 3% more than in the previous year. Between 2020 and 2024, the sector invested about 5 billion reais in beverage production, input purchases, production process modernization and packaging manufacturing.

Source: Portos do Paraná

The updated projection shows soybean crush volumes reaching 61.5 million tonnes in 2026, a 0.8% increase from the previous forecast.

The expansion highlights the domestic industry’s capacity to absorb larger volumes and generate higher value-added products.

As a result, output of derivatives is also expected to rise. Soybean meal production is projected at 47.4 million tonnes, while soybean oil output is estimated at 12.35 million tonnes, reinforcing Brazil’s role not only as a leading exporter of raw soybeans but also as a key supplier of inputs for food and energy.

Maturing soybean complex

According to Daniel Furlan Amaral, Abiove’s director of economics and regulatory affairs, the figures reflect the sector’s maturity. He said the upward revision indicates the industry is well positioned to convert a record crop into protein and bioenergy, strengthening both food and energy security.

In foreign trade, Brazil’s leadership remains intact. Soybean exports are projected at 111.5 million tonnes, maintaining the country’s position as the world’s top supplier.

In the derivatives segment, exports of soybean meal are expected to reach 24.6 million tonnes, while soybean oil shipments are forecast to grow 3.4%, totaling 1.5 million tonnes.

Recent data supports the positive outlook. In January 2026, soybean processing reached 3.689 million tonnes, an 8.9% increase year-on-year, according to adjusted figures.

The following chart provides a detailed breakdown of Brazilian soybean meal exports (HS codes 2304.00.00, 2304.00.10, and 2304.00.90), according to Datamar market intelligence:

Soybean Meal Exports | Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Adapted from a report by Fernanda Pressinott, CNN Brasil