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After U.S. Tariff, Ceará Government Negotiates Honey Purchase for School Meals, Paying Values Much Higher Than Those Practiced in Exports
The upcoming honey harvests produced in Ceará will have a different destination than usual. The product, which would be exported to the United States, will be directed to the school meals of the state education network. The decision aims to reduce the impacts of the tariff imposed by Donald Trump’s government, which directly affected the sector. Currently, 95% of Ceará’s honey is exported to the North American market.
Price Difference
According to the president of the State Beekeepers Federation (Fecap), Joventino Neto, the government should follow the table set by the National Supply Company (Conab). This table sets the average price of honey in pouches at R$ 61.50 per kilogram.
This value is much higher than the R$ 16 paid by the United States for raw honey, sold without processing.
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In practice, Ceará could pay nearly 3.84 times more than the importers. It is important to highlight that the products are not the same: for export, the honey is raw, while in the domestic market it is delivered processed, already packaged and labeled.
Government Confirms Negotiation
In a phone interview, the executive secretary of the Secretariat of Agrarian Development (SDA), Marcos Jacinto, confirmed that the state should follow the average values practiced by Conab. He explained, however, that the negotiation is still ongoing between the ministry and the producers.
“A purchasing strategy by the Government of Ceará is under construction. When it is finalized, the price will be defined through the proper bidding process,” he stated.
Joventino Neto notes that even with a renegotiation, the price per kilogram should remain between R$ 40 and R$ 45. This range is more than double the average value paid in exports.
SDA Clarification
After the information was released, the SDA reiterated that the exact value is still not defined. In a statement, the ministry announced that it will continue to dialogue with representatives of the production chain to define a fair price for the purchase of honey and other products affected by the tariff.
The ministry also emphasized that there is a natural difference between the price of raw honey and processed honey, because the latter undergoes fractioning, packaging, and certified labeling.
“The State Government, aware of the losses faced by producers after the tariffs imposed by the United States, informs that in the coming days it will continue to dialogue with representatives of the production chain to negotiate and define a fair average price for the acquisition of honey and other food items affected by the tariff,” concluded the statement.
Previous Harvests Continue to Be Exported
The negotiation with the state government includes only the upcoming harvests. The batches already sold continue to be shipped to the United States.
With the tariff, the value of exported honey fell from R$ 16 to R$ 14, a reduction of 12.5%. In some cases, according to Joventino, the price dropped to R$ 12, which represents a 25% decrease in profits.
“When honey prices drop, the more organized beekeepers stop selling,” reported the president of Fecap. Despite this, old contracts remain active, even with the decrease in margins.
According to the executive secretary of the SDA, the state should purchase at least 16,000 tons of honey per month. The product will be supplied in pouches and distributed directly from the industries to the public schools.
This measure will apply to the harvests in September and October, when the new bloom of bees occurs in Ceará.
Impact of the Tariff
Joventino Neto pointed out that the United States has stopped buying honey from Ceará since August 7, when the tariff came into effect.
Importers are now seeking alternatives in other countries, such as Japan, but paying less for the product.
Reinforcement for the Domestic Market
Despite the external losses, the president of Fecap believes that the change can be positive. He assesses that if the government’s purchase becomes permanent, local prices will be more advantageous than those paid by importers.
“If we can include honey at least one day a week in school meals, in a year we will absorb almost all of Ceará’s production. This will force middlemen to pay better to small beekeepers,” he defended.
The secretary Marcos Jacinto, however, reminds that the measure is emergency and will have a limited duration. “If we can rebalance the relationship with the U.S., the market itself will resume the conduct of relations,” he stated.
Public Notice Should Be Released in the Coming Days
The honey purchase will be included in a bidding notice that the Government of Ceará should publish next week.
According to Chagas Vieira, executive secretary of the Civil House, the proposal is to support exporting companies that have been harmed by the new tariff.
Honey Production in Ceará
According to the latest data from IBGE, Ceará produced a little over 5,700 tons of honey in 2023, making it the fifth-largest producer in the country.
Of this total, 1,800 tons were exported to the United States, corresponding to 31.8% of the state’s production. The remainder was already destined for the domestic market.
According to Joventino Neto, even before the tariff, the domestic sale to Conab already paid much more than exports. The price was around R$ 60/kg, compared to the R$ 16 offered by the North Americans.
With the change in the market and the entry of the state government as a buyer, producers now hope to secure more advantageous prices and stability in the face of the crisis opened by the tariff.
With information from Diário do Nordeste.
Tem que dividir com vereador secretaria prefeito deputado senão sai verba para a compra
Valores acima do exportado, aí tem muita treta, a turma da governança estadual tá enchendo o bolso.
Mesmo com o tarifação saia mais barato que o pago internamente… O Brasil é um exemplo ao mundo de economia corporativa