After a drop in exports during the pandemic, the cachaça producing sector was already showing recovery in 2021, but now has bigger reasons to celebrate. The sector registers, this year, a record in the value exported. There were US$ 18.47 million exported, the highest value in the last 12 years and 54.74% greater than exports in 2021. The survey by Comex Stat, the federal government’s foreign trade data system, and compiled by the Brazilian Institute da Cachaça (Ibrac), brings data from January to November.
The numbers stand out mainly because they are from a period immediately after the worst years of the covid-19 pandemic and, even so, bring higher figures than the period before the global health crisis. In 2019, for example, an export value of US$ 14.60 million was registered. The 2022 numbers exceed those of 2019 by approximately $4 million. There was also growth in export volume. There were 8.6 million liters exported, an increase of 30.38%.
For Carlos Lima, executive director of Ibrac, the good news is the result of the sum of some factors, mainly the return of economic activities after the retraction caused by covid-19. “I think this is due to a moment of post-pandemic recovery. Although we had growth last year, the effective return of bars and restaurants brought optimism in the market”, he told the Brazil Agency?? Lima also attributed the resumption of events as a factor influencing these numbers.
Currently, cachaça is exported to 72 countries. In terms of export value, the main ones are the United States, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France and Paraguay. This year even brought a significant increase in the participation of some of these countries, which until then were not among the main markets. Portugal more than doubled in the values of cachaça imported from Brazil and Italy had an increase of 180% in the figures.
Lima understands that actions to promote cachaça as an export product also contributed. Ibrac carries out with the Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) a project to promote cachaça exports. It consists of actions to promote cachaça and protect the denomination of cachaça as a brand.
Micro and small companies have even been inserted in the international market in the context of this program. Ibrac’s intention is to increase the export base and maintain good numbers in the coming years. “Ibrac has been investing over the last few years in cachaça image actions and promotion of cachaça opportunities. Companies have been investing in the international market for some years now, and now the country is taking advantage of it”, said Carlos Lima.
