Brazilian beef exports to the United States soared 524.3% in September, compared to the same month in 2025.
The advance, however, was not enough to reverse the decline in Brazilian sales to the American market in the year to date, in a period marked by surcharges imposed by the Donald Trump government on Brazilian products.
From January to September, exports from Brazil to the United States totaled US$27.5 billion, a drop of 6.5% compared to the same period last year.
The value represents a reduction of US$ 1.9 billion and is the lowest for the first nine months of the year since 2023, according to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil (Amcham).
In September, however, there was a recovery. Brazilian exports to the Americans reached US$3.5 billion, an increase of 31.9% compared to the same month in 2025.
The growth was driven by both the increase in the quantity of products sold, of 3.1%, and the 28% increase in the average price of exported goods.
🔎 The jump in beef occurred amid surcharges applied by the United States to Brazilian products. The item is among the exceptions to the additional tariffs imposed by the American president, as well as instant coffee, organic honey and fish, such as tilapia.
Beef soars, while other products retreat
The positive performance of meat also appears in the year to date. Between January and September, beef sales to the American market grew 82.9%, reaching US$ 1.72 billion.
The result contrasts with that of other important products in the Brazilian export basket.
In the same period, sales of crude oil to the United States fell 35.8%, while sales of unroasted coffee fell 20%.
Exports of semi-finished iron products, which still need to go through other manufacturing stages before becoming final products, decreased by 4.3%.
Brazilian exports lose strength in the main sectors
The drop in sales to the United States also appears in the three major sectors of the economy:
Agriculture;
Extractive industry; and
Transformation industry, which brings together industrialized products.
Between January and September, Brazilian exports to the American market fell 17.8% in agriculture, 32% in the extractive industry and 1.2% in the manufacturing industry.
Performance was different in other international markets. Excluding the United States, Brazilian exports grew 8.9% in agriculture, 21.2% in the extractive industry and 6.3% in the manufacturing industry.
Despite the downturn, industrialized products continued to account for the majority of Brazilian sales to Americans, with 84.4% of the total exported between January and September.
The 1.2% drop in exports in this sector was the first for the period since 2020, a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, the United States remained the main destination for Brazilian industrialized products, ahead of the European Union, China and Mercosur.
Overcharged products accumulate losses in the year
Exports of Brazilian products subject to additional tariffs from the United States also recovered in September, but continue to decline in 2026.
During the month, sales of these products grew 28.1% in value, to US$ 1.46 billion. Among items subject to the highest tariffs, from 25% to 37.5%, the increase was 27.8%, to US$466.5 million.
From January to September, however, exports from this last group fell 25.4%, equivalent to US$1.4 billion less in sales.
Among the ten most exported products to the United States subject to additional tariffs of 25% or 37.5%, nine recorded a year-to-date decline. The biggest pullbacks cited include:
Coniferous wood, with a decline of 50.6%;
Worked granite, down 34.1%; and
Beef tallow, with a decrease of 33.4%.
Imports from the United States grow for the third month in a row
In the opposite direction to exports, Brazilian imports of American products grew again in September. Purchases totaled US$4.43 billion, an increase of 2.1% compared to the same month in 2025. It was the third consecutive month of growth, after seven months of decline.
The increase was driven mainly by fuels, whose imports increased 108.5% in September. Between January and September, Brazilian purchases in this category totaled US$6.86 billion, an increase of 68.5% in the annual comparison.
Despite the monthly recovery, total imports of American products fell 7.1% year to date, to US$31.8 billion.
With imports exceeding exports, Brazil accumulated a trade deficit of US$4.3 billion with the United States in the first nine months of the year.
The negative result, which indicates that the country bought more than it sold to the American market, was 10.8% lower than that recorded in the same period in 2025.
Illustrative image of beef. — Photo: To Uyen/Unplash
