The long-standing nearly one-sided agricultural trade pattern between Brazil and China is undergoing changes. Although China remains the main destination for Brazil’s agricultural products, nowadays agricultural products from China are increasingly entering the Brazilian market, and one of them is fertilizers.
In the first ten months of this year, the total value of agricultural products imported by Brazil from China has reached 6.1 billion US dollars, an increase of 24% compared to the same period last year. The supply structure of agricultural production materials in Brazil is undergoing a transformation, and the purchase of fertilizers is a crucial part of this. In terms of quantity, China has surpassed Russia for the first time and become Brazil’s largest supplier of fertilizers.
From January to October this year, Brazil imported 9.77 million tons of fertilizers from China, slightly more than the 9.72 million tons purchased from Russia. Moreover, the growth rate of China’s fertilizer exports to Brazil has significantly accelerated. In the first ten months of this year, it increased by 51% compared to the previous year, while the import volume from Russia only increased by 5.6%.
It is worth noting that Brazil imports most of its fertilizers from China, with ammonium sulfate (nitrogen fertilizer) being the main type. Meanwhile, Russia remains an important strategic supplier of potassium chloride (potassium fertilizer) for Brazil. Currently, the combined imports from these two countries account for half of Brazil’s total fertilizer imports.
The Federation of Agriculture and Livestock pointed out that since the beginning of this year, Brazil’s purchase volume of ammonium sulfate has consistently exceeded expectations, while the demand for potassium chloride has decreased due to seasonal factors. In the first ten months of this year, Brazil’s total fertilizer imports reached 38.3 million tons, an increase of 4.6% year-on-year; the import value also rose by 16%, reaching 13.2 billion US dollars. In terms of import volume, Brazil’s top five fertilizer suppliers are China, Russia, Canada, Morocco and Egypt, in that order.
On the other hand, Brazil imported 863,000 tons of agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. in the first ten months, an increase of 33% compared to the same period last year. Among them, 70% came from the Chinese market, followed by India (11%). The total import value of these products reached 4.67 billion US dollars, an increase of 21% compared to the previous year.
Post time: Dec-04-2025