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In The First Nine Months Of 2025, The Paulista Agricultural Sector Maintained The Pace In Exports, Led By Sugar And Followed By Soybean And Orange Juice, While Facing The Effects Of The 50% Tariff Imposed By The United States In August
The agricultural sector in the state of São Paulo maintained its strategic weight in Brazilian exports in the first nine months of 2025. From January to September, the sector registered a significant trade surplus of US$ 16.81 billion, resulting from US$ 21.15 billion in exports against US$ 4.34 billion in imports, according to the Agricultural Businesses Research Directorate (Apta), linked to the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply.
Leading Sectors In Exports
The agricultural exports represented 40.3% of everything that São Paulo sold abroad during the period, while imports accounted for 6.6% of the state total. The performance was led by the sugar and alcohol complex, which accounted for 29.9% of sales and totaled US$ 6.32 billion. Within the segment, sugar represented 92.1% of the revenue, and ethanol accounted for 7.9%.
Next, the meat sector came in with 14.9% market share, moving US$ 3.15 billion, with beef responsible for 84.9% of the exports of the group. Forest products had a share of 10.5%, with US$ 2.21 billion in shipments — 54.5% from cellulose and 36.4% from paper.
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The juice segment accounted for 10.2% of the total exported, totaling US$ 2.15 billion, of which 97.7% was orange juice. The soy complex completed the group of the five largest sectors, with 9.9% market share and US$ 2.10 billion in sales, with 80.8% from soybeans and 14% from meal. Together, these five segments represented 75.4% of the agricultural exports from São Paulo. Coffee was in sixth place, with 6.4% market share and US$ 1.35 billion.
Main Destinations And Impact Of The US Tariff
China remained the main destination for shipments from São Paulo, with 24.2% of the total, followed by the European Union (14.4%) and the United States (12.7%). Sales to the American market totaled US$ 2.69 billion between January and September, an increase of 13% compared to the same period in 2024. This advance occurred in the first seven months of the year, before the implementation of a 50% tariff by the US government on August 6.
With the new tariff, exports fell significantly: 14.2% in August and 32.7% in September, compared to the same months of the previous year. The juice segment, exempt from the tariff, maintained robust performance and represented 34% of sales to the US. Meanwhile, meat (15%), coffee (8.5%), and forest products (9.4%) saw declines in exports in September.
According to Apta’s director, Dr. Carlos Nabil Ghobril, the impacts were less than expected due to the redirection of shipments. “The volume was reduced less than initially expected, but it ended up being redirected to other countries: China, Mexico, and Argentina,” he stated.
National Participation And Ranking Position
On the national scene, the paulista agricultural sector maintained its relevance and held the 2nd position among the largest exporters in the country, with 16.7% market share in foreign sales of the sector. The state lagged behind only Mato Grosso, which led with 17.4%, and ahead of Minas Gerais, which recorded 11.5%.
The performance confirms the strength of the paulista agribusiness, which continues to be one of the pillars of Brazilian foreign trade, even in a context of trade challenges and new tariff barriers.
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