By far the
biggest
O
ne of the last expandable
agricultural frontiers in the
world, Brazil is greatly rep-
resentative when it comes
to current and future food
production. It is the case of beef, protein
whose demand never stops in developing
countries. Brazil has the largest commer-
cial herd in the world, estimated at 215.2
million head in 2015 by the Brazilian Insti-
tute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
The US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) estimates the Brazilian cattle herd at
226 million head in 2017, 22 percent of the
global herd and the biggest of this kind, as
India’sherd reaches300millionhead, but 35
percent of the animals are buffalo breeds.
India does not slaughter oxen.
The numbers of the sector are expressive:
Brazil’s potential is for slaughteringmore than
45million animals a year, but in 2015, accord-
ing to IBGE sources, 39.6millionanimalswere
slaughtered, corresponding to 9.56 million
tonsonacarcassweightequivalentbasis,with
an average of 244.2 kilograms per carcass.
More than 5million head, around 12 percent,
wereanimalsfinishedinconfinement.
The Brazilian consumers absorb 80 per-
cent of the production, and the international
clients, consisting of over 100 countries, pur-
chase the remaining portion of 20 percent.
Apart from this, on a yearly basis, Brazil ex-
ports upwards of 200 thousand live animals.
Consumption in 2016 dropped as a result of
the economic crisis in the Country, however,
in the opinion of the Association of Brazilian
Beef Exporters (Abiec), until 2015 every Bra-
zilian inhabitant consumed 38.6 kilograms of
beef a year. The Food and Agriculture Organi-
zationoftheUnitedNations(FAO),ranksBrazil
asthefifthbiggestconsumerintheworld,with
35.8kilogramsper personayear, comingafter
Uruguay (56.3 kg), Argentina (54.5 kg), Hong
Kong(51.9kg)andtheUnitedStates(36kg).In
total volume, however, Brazil ranks as second
biggest consumer in the world. The Country
comesonlyaftertheUnitedStates.
Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato
Grosso do Sul and Pará are home to the big-
gest herds in the Country. The expectation
that in the next 10 years, in spite of the ag-
gregation of degraded areas, this area will
recede to 158 million hectares – for agricul-
ture expansion purposes – while average
productivity is supposed to jump from 9.56
to 11.4 million tons, with a herd in excess of
221 million head (an additional 6 million),
and 46 million animals butchered a year.
The population density should go up 12%,
to 1.4 animals per hectare, while slaughters
should rise 5 percent, to 21 percent. Brazil-
ian cattle farming business is therefore su-
perlative fromevery point of view.
Anuncio Meia Pagina Anuario da Pecuaria.pdf 1 22/08/2017 17:21:10
