Companies in the agribusiness sector and Brazilian rural producers have recorded R$8 trillion (approximately US$1.5 trillion in current exchange rates) in registered sales and purchase operations in the country for 2024. This value represents a 6.8% increase compared to 2023. This data is the result of a study published this Thursday, the 25^th, by Empresômetro, a spin-off from the Brazilian Institute of Planning and Taxation (IBPT)

However, the survey indicates that the share of agribusiness in overall Brazilian commerce has decreased from 32% to 24.2%. This suggests that, while agribusiness is still in a growth trajectory, the increase in traded values was led by other sectors of the economy, which gained participation.

“Brazilian agribusiness has huge internal and external challenges to keep its vigor and leadership in various segments and products”, says Gilberto Amaral, IBPT’s president.

“Unstable international taxing, constant increase of national tax burden, and renewed logistical problems constitute problems to the development of the sector, which in 2024 traded over R$8 trillion in goods and services”, says Amaral.

The survey, however, still doesn’t include the effects of Donald Trump’s significant tariff increase in January of this year.

Understanding the survey

The analysis is based on electronic receipts with CNAE (National Classification of Economic Activities) directly connected to the agribusiness sector, with the goal of mapping and understanding each segment of the industry. In the survey, Empresômetro analyzed two types of value:

• Traded value: corresponding to transactions that do, in fact, generate purchase and sales receipts;
• Transaction value: encompasses transactions in which the product goes through different stages, from the field to the consumer.

The transaction value in the agribusiness sector reached R$12.31 trillion – equivalent to 32.59% of total operations in Brazil in 2024, totaling R$49.14 trillion.

Soybeans exemplify this type of transaction: the grain is sold by the producer to a cooperative, then traded, and finally exported to China, the leading destination for this Brazilian commodity. Each step involves a new sales operation, adding to the total transaction value.

The process ensures that the product’s value is accounted for at different stages. Still, the traded value refers only to the initial sale and purchase, thereby avoiding duplication in Empresômetro’s calculations.

The Southeast’s strength in companies

Furthermore, the survey reveals that the majority of agribusiness companies have their headquarters in the Southeast, accounting for 56.8% of the total, or approximately 1.97 million companies.

“This predominance is due to the elevated participation of São Paulo, which houses almost 40% of agribusiness companies in the country, and by Minas Gerais’ economic strength, the second-largest base in the industry”, says the study.

Some states show proportionally accelerated growth, such as Espírito Santo (+12.4% between 2023-24), state that has been consolidating itself as a logistic and industrial hub for the agribusiness, and states in the North and Northeast show expansion drastically above average, such as Acre (+64.4%), Amapá (+64.7%), Roraima (+50.6%) and Alagoas (+47.9%), in the 2022-2024 period.

“These results suggest the advancement of corporate formalization and an increase of agribusiness-related activities in regions which historically had a smaller base”, says the study.

More producers in the Northeast

In terms of the number of individual rural producers, the Northeast leads with 1,750,223 people, or 45.7% of the Brazilian total. Bahia alone has 610,000 producers, or 15.6% of the national total.

“This concentration reflects the importance of family farming and of the small properties in the region, especially for crops such as corn, beans, cassava, and for livestock-related activities. The 4% growth between 2022 and 2024 shows that, even in a scenario of mechanization and land concentration in some areas, the Northeast keeps its base productive and refined”, affirms the study.

The North was the region with the most accelerated growth, registering a 7.7% increase between 2023 and 2024. The performance is linked to the expansion of the agricultural frontier, particularly in Pará, Tocantins, and Rondônia, as well as the formalization of small producers in the region.

“The region’s economy is a mixture of extractives and agriculture, with the production of crops such as cassava in Amazonas and Acre, and açaí in Amapá. This increase is strategic, as it indicates greater integration of local production into formal trading chains, which can generate gains in productivity and ease access to rural credit”, the study points.