Demand from the United States was significant in the first months of the year, increasing the share of shipments to this country in the first half of 2020 to 32% – in the same period of 2019, this share was only 24%. From March, shipments to the European Union were intensified, mainly in the face of the lockdown in India, which failed to meet the bloc.
In this scenario of consistent demand, according to exporters, shipments were not only higher due to quality and volume restrictions – it is worth remembering that the rains were constant in the São Francisco Valley (PE/BA) in the first months of the year, increasing the incidence of diseases and reducing productivity in most parrrais.
But even with the lower supply, it was also possible to reduce imports by 49% compared to the first half of 2019, being the second lowest volume imported in the entire Secex series for the first half.
Source: Cepea/Hortifruti
