Agro dominating the world: 4 more countries open the market for Brazilian products

Brazilian agriculture gained more market share in Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey and New Zealand for the export of corn bran, one of the products resulting from the production of corn ethanol, technically called DDG (distiller’s dried grains/ distillation-dried grains) or DDGS (distiller´s dried grains with solubles/ grains dried by distillation with solubles). DDGS/DDG are generated from the production of corn ethanol in the second harvest. The input is a protein and energy source in animal feed formulations (for ruminants, pigs, poultry, fish and shrimp). According to the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), projections indicate that by 2031/2032 Brazilian corn ethanol production will jump to 10.88 billion liters, which will lead to an offer for the approximately 6.5 million tons of DDG/DDGS. The opening of new markets, which reinforces the country’s commitment to strengthening agribusiness and expanding the supply of inputs for the production of animal protein, is the result of joint efforts between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE). Currently, Brazil is the third largest corn producer in the world, behind only China (2nd) and the United States (1st). Around 10% of the grains are used for ethanol production, which is carried out with second-crop corn. The “safrinha” is planted in the same area after the harvest of the main crop, within the same agricultural year, and does not require additional land to be cultivated, which significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions. By Brazilian government metrics, corn ethanol has one of the lowest footprints of all ethanol plants in Brazil (around 17gCO2/MJ). According to the 1st Survey of the 2023/24 Grain Harvest, released in October by the National Supply Company (Conab), the total corn production expected for the cereal in the 2023/24 harvest is 119.4 million tons. It is estimated that 38 million tons of cereal will be exported by the country. (With Map)

(Débora Damasceno/Sou Agro)