Six months after the signing of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement — one of the largest free-trade deals in the world — Brazilian agricultural exports to Europe have surged 14.8% during the first five months of the agreement, according to a press release from Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA).
During the first five months of the agreement’s provisional implementation, Brazil exported 17.74 million tons of agricultural goods to 27 European countries during the first five months of the deal, representing an 8.1% increase in volume compared to the same period from the previous years, per the press release. Brazil generated $12.21 billion in agricultural sales during the first five months of the EU-Mercosur deal.
The increase in volume exports spanned a range of agricultural goods, including soybeans, meat, bee products (namely, honey), and other goods. In the news release, the Brazilian government reported the following increases in exports to Europe ...
- Soybean exports increased to $4.19 billion in sales from May and September 2026, compared to $3.12 billion for the same period last year, an increase of 34.2% in value.
- Meat exports increased from 101,000 tons to 272,000 tons, with volumes increasing by 170% and values by 103.5%.
- The value of bee products (primarily honey) exported to Europe, increasing by 367%.
- Avocados experienced some of the largest growth in dollar and volume exports. Brazil increased the volume of avocado shipped by 433.7%, while increasing values by 421.2%.
- Roasted coffee exports increased by 116.5% in volume and 91.6% in value, while soluble coffee exports grew by 38.2% on a volume basis and 19% per value.
“The significant growth and diversity of exports to the European Union demonstrate the competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness, our willingness to dialogue and the increasingly strong presence of the productive sector in the international market. Brazil demonstrates, once again, that its competitiveness is sustained not only in the volume it produces, but above all in quality, safety and compliance with the most stringent standards required by consumer markets,” said Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, André de Paula, in a translated statement.
What’s next for the EU-Mercosur deal?
Per the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, tariffs are being reduced on a number of agricultural goods based on a negotiated schedule, with coffee and soluble coffee already being gradually reduced with an expected elimination by 2030. Additionally, avocado tariffs have been slashed by 20% and are expected to reach zero by 2030.
Other agricultural goods, including beef, pork, poultry, sugar, ethanol, rice, honey, corn and sorghum, are subject to conditions to gaining access to the European market, and tariff reduction will be gradual and based on different sectors, MAPA stated.
Among the conditions, Europe demands specific environmental and traceability requirements. Earlier this year, MAPA launched the Agro Brasil + Sustainable Platform (AB+S), which provides rural farmers with environmental and social data for the purpose of tapping into export opportunities.
