Brazil to Asia: Agricultural Trade Solutions by Cotecna

Trade between Brazil and China has long been one of the most important between the two countries. Particularly in the agricultural market, China has been the main destination in terms of export volume for many years.

In 2023, however, this connection became even stronger with the opening of the Chinese market to Brazilian corn. In the first year of purchases (open) alone, China imported 17 million tonnes of Brazilian maize out of a total of 56 million tonnes exported, making it the largest importer of this product (30.4%), followed by Japan (10.1%), Vietnam (8.4%) and Iran (5.4%).

If we include Brazilian soya for China, a total of 93 million tonnes of these two products will be imported in 2023 alone, representing 60% of Brazil's total exports (156 million tonnes). In addition to the competitive quality (high protein) of Brazilian corn and soya and the attractive prices for this trade, the good political relations between the countries have contributed to all this success in the Brazilian agricultural export market.

To support this market, which has grown in recent decades and is responsible for Brazil's trade surplus, Cotecna has built relationships between buyers and exporters, providing innovative solutions to support agricultural trade.

One of the Cotecna Group's key assets is its large and active participation in the Chinese agricultural import market. Whether it's through the services provided by our various offices in China, or by maintaining excellent commercial relationships with importers. This includes Cotecna Brazil's active participation in this network of relationships, maintaining an open and direct channel between China and Brazil, either through Cotecna or directly with clients, through visits from Brazil to China twice a year.

We also provide a solution between the different quality grades of products between the Brazilian and Chinese standards, i.e. we identify in advance any quality differences between the standards, thus minimising the endless discussions and loss negotiations between exporters and importers.

In short, our role is to bring the two sides of the world closer together through technical solutions and local information on the reality of our ports and the characteristics of Brazilian exports.

This work has brought us many positive results in terms of volumes handled and promises much more in the near future.

We will increasingly focus on maintaining this relationship and building improvements that can promote Brazilian-Chinese agricultural export trade!

Why Choose Cotecna

At Cotecna, our expert inspection and testing teams, supported by a worldwide network of laboratories and internationally recognized accreditations and certifications is dedicated to promptly addressing your needs.

Operating since 1983, Cotecna Brazil provides inspection and testing services throughout the supply chain for the Agri industry. Our capabilities include port, testing, and inland services, at every stage of production, that help our clients mitigate risk, comply with contractual obligations, and make their businesses more transparent and sustainable.

Part of the Cotecna Group, Agronômica laboratory provides phytosanitary diagnosis analysis, analysis of biological control products for agronomic use, and seeds testing, operating throughout Brazil and abroad.

Accredited by MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture) in Phytosanitary Diagnosis, Agronômica detects and identifies pests within the national and international transit of agricultural products, through innovative techniques and carries out effectiveness tests of chemical and biological products, under controlled conditions and in situ. Agronômica’s comprehensive and solid service portfolio delivers sustainable solutions for plant health and the entire ecosystem.