27
Asprincipais
MAINVEGETABLES
Exotic
spice
n
n
n
Nationalproductionmanagedtoexceed130thousandtons in2016,
but formeetingdomesticconsumptionimportswerenecessary
B
razildoesnotyetproduceenough
garlictomeetdomesticconsump-
tion. In 2016, harvest amounted
to 12.7million 10-kilogramboxes,
totalingupwards of 130 thousand
tons. Of this total, 9.5million boxes were pro-
duced in the Cerrado region and 3.2 million
boxes in the South region, according to the
NationalAssociationofGarlicProducers(Ana-
pa). “The volume for consumption amounts
to80%,andtheremaining20%isdestinedfor
planting or is off-type garlic that never reach-
es the market for fresh consumption”, com-
ments agronomic engineer Marco Antônio
Lucini,Honorarypresidentoftheentity.
In early 2017, according to Lucini, 90%
of the Cerrado crop had been negotiated
in advance. In the meantime, in Decem-
ber 2016, the producers in the South region
states finished harvesting one of the best
crops over the past 10 years. The cold win-
ter anddry springtimecontributed towards
a crop of excellent productivity and quali-
ty. In this region, garlic reaches the market
from January through April. Despite the
good economic performance, Anapa of-
ficials recommend the farmers to be cau-
tious and keep their feet on the ground be-
foredefining their 2017 crop. “TheBrazilian
garlic supply chain represents a Gross Do-
mestic Product (GDP) of R$ 1.5 billion and
employs more than 100 thousand people”,
says Anapa president Rafael Jorge Corsino.
In 2016, garlic consumption in Brazil
amounted to 30 million 10-kilogram box-
es, about 300 hundred thousand tons, say
Anapa sources. Per capita consumption
evolved to 1.5 kilograms a year. “Although
experiencing a recession period, along
with its higher prices, consumption of gar-
lic didnot drop, a fact that is attestedby the
numbers relative to imports and national
production “, observes Lucini. Averagepric-
es fetched by the farmers range from R$ 5
to R$ 6 above the grade, depending on the
classification, cleanliness and quality. Gar-
lic produced in Brazil accounted for 42%
of domestic consumption, less than half.
Making up for the gap, 17.3 million boxes
were brought in from abroad, mainly from
China, Argentina and Spain. China sup-
plied 55.56%, and Argentina, 32.16%.
Thereiseveryindicationthatthe2017gar-
liccropwill drop to123,622 tons, according to
a survey conductedby theSystematicSurvey
of Agricultural Production (LSPA), a division
of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and
Statistics (IBGE). Should the result confirm, it
willrepresentadecreaseof5.2%overthevol-
ume of 130,407 tons, or 10.432 million 10-ki-
logram boxes harvested in the previous crop
year. The area devoted to garlic was estimat-
ed at 11,231 hectares, down 0.95%. Expected
productivity was 11,007 kilograms per hect-
are,down4.3%fromthe2016crop.
The State of Minas Gerais is the biggest
garlic producer in Brazil. The farmers of this
State harvested 48,139 tons of this vegeta-
ble in 2016. According to a survey by the
IBGE, the volume produced in the State
could drop to 44,088 tons in 2017. In the
sequence, the biggest supplies of this veg-
etable came from Goiás, with 28,881 tons;
Santa Catarina, with 26,016 tons; and Rio
Grande do Sul, with 15,542 tons.
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Foreign affairs
Although having harvested a bigger crop, Brazil also importedmore garlic in volume and value in 2016. The foreign purchases of
the spice amounted to 174,909 thousand tons and US$ 332.372 million, according to the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), a di-
vision of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC). In the previous year, imports reached 163.557 thousand
tons and US$ 179.009million. FOB price in imports rose fromUS$ 9.08 per box in July 2015 to US$ 21.39, in December 2016.
Imports of garlic are a cause for concern for the Brazilian supply chain. Anapa officials are in favor of imports, provided the
present patterns and standards are complied with, particularly for garlic from Argentina, and what must remain effective is the
anti-dumping tariff and the Exceptions List of Items for Tariffs (Letec, in the Portuguese acronym) of 35% for Chinese garlic. In
their strategies to face Chinese competition, the Brazilian farmers need to join efforts, through their association, and seek higher
productivity and better quality”, says Anapa president Rafael Corsino.
BALANÇACOMERCIALDOALHO
Importação
Ano
2015
2016
US$
179.009.580 332.372.031
Kg
163.557.974 174.909.563
Exportação
Ano
2015
2016
US$
178.130
5.006
Kg
61.641
1.258
Fonte:
MDIC/Aliceweb —
Elaboração:
Editora Gazeta.
garlic trade
