Food industry sales grow 3.74% from January to May, survey shows

Actual sales of the food industry grew 3.74% from January to May and fell 1.11% compared to May 2021.

Physical food production grew 0.87% in the last 12 months and fell 1.17% in May compared to the same period of the previous year.

According to data from the Conjunctural Survey of the Brazilian Food Industry Association (Abia), revenues reached R$ 385.9 billion in the first five months of the year, which represents an increase of 15.4% in relation to the same period of 2021.

“In the domestic market, sales have been showing an increase in the year, supported by government aid and the fall in unemployment. Exports continued to be the main highlight, driven by the rise in international food prices”, said the entity.

In May, the number of people employed in the food industry grew by 1% compared to the same period in 2021, which generated 16,500 new jobs compared to May of the previous year.

The volume of exports fell by 1.5% from January to May. In terms of values, food trade to the foreign market totaled US$ 21.7 billion in the first five months of the year, a value 29% above the same period in 2021.

Among the main exported products, the main highlights were animal proteins, with US$ 9.2 billion (37.9%); bran, with US$ 4.3 billion (43.6%); sugars, with US$ 2.9 billion (-11.2%); oils and fats, with US$ 1.9 billion (109.3%).

Imports of processed foods totaled US$ 2.7 billion in the first five months of the year, an increase of 1.8% above the same period of the previous year.

The industrialized food trade balance reached US$ 18.9 billion in the first five months of the year, US$ 4.8 billion above the same previous period.