CoffeeNetwork (New York) - According to data from the monthly statistical report of the Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafé), the national shipments of the product totaled 3.622 million bags of 60 kg in March, a volume that implies a reduction of 6% compared to the same month of 2021. In revenue, however, there was a growth of 69.3% in the same comparison, with the value reaching U$ 865.1 million. The president of the entity, Nicolas Rueda, reveals that the result of March reflects the significant drop of 64.6% in shipments of robusta coffees, which totaled 123,437 bags. "With the high levels of Arabica prices, internally and externally, Brazilian industries have rearranged their blends and have been using more conilon (robusta), whose prices are lower," he explains.
The export of Arabica coffee advanced almost 1% last month, to 3.142 million bags, even in the middle of the coffee off-season in Brazil, standing out as the best result in the last five years.
"Given the lower availability of coffee at this time, the slight progress observed is the result of the gradual improvement in the logistics scenario, which has been enabling shipments planned for the month added to the cargoes retained in the previous months. However, it is essential to highlight that the logistics situation is still below normal, demanding many challenges to exporters", he comments.
With the performance of last month, shipments in the accumulated year of the harvest reach 30.256 million bags, falling 16.5% compared to the 36.227 million bags exported between July 2020 and March 2021. In revenue, there was an increase of 29.5%, with the value jumping from US$ 4.555 billion to US$ 5.901 billion.
The president of Cecafé analyzes that, despite the fall, the current performance is positive, especially considering the obstacles that Brazilian exporters continue to face.
"We are in the off-season and with a lower supply in the current cycle, we continue with logistical bottlenecks and, more recently, shipments have been impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. Still, the shipments in the 2021/22 season are identical to those recorded in the same nine months of the 2019/20 harvest, the last of a low cycle within the bienniality characteristic of brazil's coffee belt", he argues.
CALENDAR YEAR
In the first quarter of 2022, exports reached 10.594 million bags, a 7.8% drop compared to performance in the first three months of last year. Foreign exchange revenue in the range totals US$ 2.424 billion, with a significant growth of 60.8% compared to the same previous interval, the highest value in the last five years.
"This reduction in the quarter is aligned with the lower availability of Arabica, in the off-season of a low cycle, the growth of demand from industries for conilon, the logistics scenario, which remains complicated in relation to the availability of ships and high costs, and, more recently, the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine," rueda said.
RUSSIA X UKRAINE
The prolongation of the conflict in Ukraine already has an impact on Brazilian coffee exports. In March, total exports to Russia decreased by 19%, for example. "Even though it is unimaginable to experience a war and all its tragic human factor in the 21st century, this scenario reflects the impossibility of sending containers and vessels to these destinations, with the halting of the work of maritime agencies in Russia and the collapse in Ukraine, in addition to the withdrawal of Russian financial institutions from the Swift financial system, which makes it difficult to deal with local partners," concludes cecafé's president.
MAIN DESTINATIONS
In the first quarter of this year, the United States remains the main importers of Brazilian coffee. The Americans acquired 2.103 million bags, a volume 3.3% lower than the 2.176 million bags purchased in the same time in 2021. This volume represents 19.8% of Brazil's total exports to date.
Germany, with a representative of 17.8%, imported 1.885 million bags (-8.7%) and ranked second. Following, Belgium came, with the purchase of 1.119 million bags (+29.7%); Italy, with 910,727 bags (+0.9%); and Japan, with the acquisition of 481,498 bags (-22.4%).
With the length of the war throughout The Month of March, the impact on exports to Russia, which fell from sixth to eighth place in the ranking of the main importers in the first quarter, draws attention. The Russians acquired 268,754 bags from January to the end of March, a figure that represents a 19.3% drop compared to the same interval in 2021.
TYPES OF COFFEE
Arabica coffee was the most exported between January and March 2022, with the shipment of 9.254 million bags abroad, which corresponds to 87.3% of the total. The soluble coffee had the shipment of the equivalent of 970,352 bags, accounting for 9.2% of the total. Next, there is the variety canéfora (robusta + conilon), with the export of 358,848 bags (3.4%), and the product roasted and roasted and ground, with 10,511 bags (0.1%).
PORTS
The santos maritime complex (SP) remains the main exporter of coffees in Brazil in 2022, with the shipment of 8.829 million bags, which corresponds to 83.3% of the total. Closing the list of the first three, come the ports of Rio de Janeiro, which accounted for 12.4% of shipments when sending 1.310 million bags in the first quarter, and Paranaguá (PR), with the shipment of 137,440 bags abroad (1.3%).
Alexis Rubinstein
