Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Agriculture industry in Brazil – statistics & facts
Brazil's thriving agricultural sector is a testament to its vast land area and abundant natural resources. This sector has contributed significantly to the country's economy. The country is a world leader in coffee production and export, sugar cane production, soybean production and export, and orange production just to name a few. In 2024, agriculture's value added to Brazil's GDP reached close to 99 billion U.S. dollars, reflecting the sector's long-term upward trajectory despite year-over-year fluctuations.
A global force in crop production
Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of area, occupying more than 8.5 million square kilometers. With nearly eight percent of its area devoted to agriculture, the country has established itself as a major grain grower, particularly cereals, beans, and oilseeds. In 2024, the country's agricultural production value amounted to roughly 204 billion U.S. dollars. Soybean is the leading crop in Brazil, representing about a third of the national crop output value. This crop has experienced continuous growth, pushing Brazil to become the largest soybean producer in the world, surpassing the United States.
Corn, sugar cane, and the biofuels connection
Corn and sugar cane are two other significant crops in Brazilian agriculture, together accounting for close to a quarter of the country's agricultural production value in 2024. While corn has shown clear growth in terms of production volume, sugar cane has fluctuated somewhat despite having a larger production volume. Apart from its importance in sugar production, the country also uses sugar cane as the main feedstock in ethanol fuel production. Given the sustained growth of the Brazilian biofuels industry since the 2000s, sugar cane has become a strategic crop among the various agricultural commodities that Brazil provides to the world. In crop year 2025/26, sugar cane production in Brazil was forecast to approach 666 million metric tons.
An equally strong livestock segment
Brazil's livestock sector is just as formidable as its crop production. The country ranks as the world's largest producer of beef and veal, followed by the United States, while also leading the planet as the top exporter of both beef and broiler meat. Cattle, poultry, and swine operations span vast stretches of the interior, and total meat exports have climbed steadily since a brief dip in 2017 caused by quality concerns. That recovery underscores how central animal protein has become to Brazil's trade balance, with meat ranking as the country's second-largest agribusiness export category behind soy.
