DANIEL AZEVEDO DUARTE and OWEN ROBERTS

Export-minded Brazil, already a world power in commodities such as coffee, soybeans, sugar, poultry, orange juice and beef, is setting its sights on taking a big stake in the global fruit market by doubling exports. And Canada is among the countries where it thinks it can have a stronger presence.

Brazil is the world’s third-largest fruit producer, with almost 45 million tonnes of production, right behind China and India. Growing conditions are ideal for the likes of mangoes, melons and lemons, which routinely end up on Canadian plates.

But overall, the country lags in fruit exports. Despite doubling exports over the past 20 years, it still ranks just 32nd among fruit-exporting countries, sending less than two per cent of its production abroad.

Luiz Roberto Barcelos, president of Abrafrutas (the Brazilian Fruit Exporters’ Association), says the country’s producers need to reach agreements with some of the main importers around the globe – especially the EU, which is responsible for more than half of all the world’s fruit imports -- the way other South American producers such as Chile or Peru have done.

“Although we are very good at producing fruit, we’re not good at promoting our production,” says Barcelos. “That is starting to change and many producers are gaining ground abroad. We have a huge potential and will increasingly focus on exports. Our best fruit producers are aware and prepared for this.”

Barcelos says the main challenges facing an increase in Brazilian fruit exports are government support for promoting Brazilian fruit, clear legislation to align with international phytosanitary certifications, and greater development of an export culture among growers.

But he believes these challenges can be overcome. He expects exports to rise to US$1 billion worth this year, then increase by 15 per cent annually.

That seems like a realistic goal, at least in the short term -- exports earned the country US$975 million last year. And compared to the first half of 2018, they’ve increased 21 per cent in volume and 15 in sales.

Long term, Barcelos sees three strengths for Brazil.

First, the country already grows a wide variety of fruit, particularly tropical fruit such as mangoes, limes, lemons, melons, pineapple, avocados, watermelons, bananas and papayas. “We are perfectly able to face other exporters on many of these varieties,” says Barcelos.

Vast agricultural land development and wide climate variations means Brazil also produces temperate-climate fruit like that found in countries such as Canada. Apples and grapes come to mind.

All told, the country has huge biodiversity. That has resulted in the continual discovery of new fruit, over its five biomes:Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest and Pampas. Modern-era discoveries include açaí, graviola (also known as soursop or Brazilian paw paw), cupuaçu (a rainforest tree related to cocoa) and mangaba, a plum-like fruit.  There are hundreds of varieties of unexploited fruits. 

Another plus for Brazil is the rising world demand for fruit. Globally, the International Trade Center valued the world fruit market at US$135 billion in 2018. That’s almost 20 per cent higher than five years yearly.

Barcelos likes Brazil’s chances of increasing its market share throughout the world, and has definite thoughts about Canada.

 “Canada is an interesting market for us,” he says. “It has a multicultural society, a developed economy and a demand for all sort of fruits. Moreover, the country has good infrastructure and logistics to receive products.” Indeed, in the first half of this year, processed fruit exports to Canada were up nearly 70 per cent.

However, Brazil’s success in opening up more markets could be highly influenced by how the international community views its treatment of the rainforest – a treatment that has met with poor international reviews lately.

Many Brazilians, including their development-oriented president, Jair Bolsonaro, have a hands-off attitude towards global involvement in the rainforest. They consider it distinctly Brazilian. Bolsonaro even rebuked international offers (including $15 million from Canada) to help contain fires raging there during the last few months, to the chagrin of the global community. 

But very little fruit production -- less than two per cent – takes place in the nine states comprising the Amazon biome, even though it covers more than half of the entire country. Production that does occur there is mostly conducted by small, local producers, who count on the sale of fruit such as açaí or cupuaçú for community sustainability…and most agree that community sustainability is imperative for promoting rainforest preservation.

Daniel Azevedo Duarte is a Brazilian agricultural journalist based in Sao Paulo. Owen Roberts, a regular columnist with The Grower, travelled to agriculture centres in Brazil in 2019.