The first shipments of grapes from Brazil to South Korea should begin later this year, marking a new start to the international expansion of Brazilian fruit farming, now with a strong focus on Asia. This was announced by the executive director of Abrafrutas, Eduardo Brandão, this Thursday (18), at Hortitec, in Holambra (SP). According to the director, the phytosanitary agreement with Seoul is already concluded, with only the definition of tariffs and other bureaucratic protocols remaining before shipments can begin. According to Brandão, the Asian market is the new target for Brazilian fruits. "We are working with estimates that Asia will account for more than 40% of global fruit consumption by 2030," he said, adding that the projections are highly positive – beyond grapes – also including avocados, mangoes, melons, watermelons, among other products, contributing to Brazilian fruit exports reaching approximately US$2 billion by 2028. Today, according to the executive, the European Union accounts for approximately 70% of what the national fruit industry exports, the United Kingdom (15%) and the United States (10%). "We export only 3% of what we produce. The growth potential is gigantic." Last year, export revenue was around US$1.5 billion, an increase of nearly 12%.
Geopolitics and logistics
In this agenda, Brandão reinforces the importance of the partnership between Abrafrutas and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) for promoting national products abroad. The leader also points out that despite all sorts of uncertainties in the global geopolitical scenario, the first shipments, under the umbrella of the Mercosur-European Union agreement, are already taking place – starting with grapes, which are already entering the European market with zero tariffs. On the other hand, the risk of new Trump-era tariff hikes is a concern. Furthermore, Brandão also notes that the logistics of distribution remains a historical and structural challenge for fruit shipments, precisely because it is a perishable item, which adds another problem for more distant markets. "Papaya, for example, can only be exported by air, which is much more expensive." Given this logic, the manager explains that the export sector faces difficulties related to freight prices, whether by sea or air, as well as the availability of ships and the dependence on routes shared with other cargo, since reserving containers or exclusive vessels is more difficult because we do not yet export large volumes. In this context, Brandão points out that neighbors like Chile and Peru have advantages, both geographically, due to the route to Asia via the Pacific, and in terms of volume, because they can ship amounts that eliminate the need to share with other products.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.