Brazilian fruit exports fell 13% in revenue and 5% in volume in the first half of 2020, when compared to the same period of the previous year. The executive director of the Brazilian Association of Exporters of Fruits and Derivatives (Abrafrutas), Eduardo Brandão, says that the decline was already expected by the sector and expects a peak in the second half.

To make matters worse, even with the rapprochement of Mercosur and the European Union, Brazil faces the payment of export tariffs to European countries, our main consumers. The sector feels abandoned while countries like Chile and Peru compete with zero tariffs on some fruits. Brandão concludes by stating that environmental issues that are in the focus of the international media have also harmed the sector, which employs five million employees. “It’s causing us some damage from erroneous information regarding the production of Brazilian agro,” he says. Source: Rural Canal