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Top Brazil Nuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

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Shelled Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts
In 2023, exports of Brazil nuts were worth a total US$243 million.

Exports of Brazil nuts dropped in value by an overall average -26.1% since 2019 when export sales for Brazil nuts were $328.9 million.

Year over year, worldwide export revenues plummeted -29.3% compared to $343.7 million in 2022 for the smooth, buttery and relatively big nuts.

Raw Brazil nuts seeds come from the fruits of Brazil nut trees, one of the largest and oldest trees in the Amazon rainforest. However, the highest dollar value of shelled Brazil nuts come from exporters in Venezuela.

Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, a valued antioxidant that bolsters the quality of blood flow, resistance to disease, and defends against inflammation.

Besides serving as unique additions to nut mixtures, Brazil nuts are used to make unsaturated fatty acid oils.

By value, the 5 biggest exporters of Brazil nuts (Bolivia, Germany, Peru, Brazil and the Netherlands) sold 91.3% of all shelled and unshelled Brazil nuts exported during 2023.

Applying a continental perspective, countries in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean supplied the highest dollar worth of exported Brazil nuts during 2023 with shipments valued at $170.8 million or 70.3% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Europe (26.3%) trailed by sellers in North America (2%), Asia (1.2%), Africa (0.2%) then Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.

Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of Brazil nuts in 2023 were the Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands and France. Collectively, that quintet of top import countries bought 54.6% of globally imported Brazil nuts as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 67 exporters of Brazil nuts (91.3% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to around 130 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a smaller share of its world total for imported Brazil nuts at 54.6%.

As for global imports of Brazil nuts by continent, 60.9% of Brazil nuts purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Europe ahead of importers in North America (19.4%), Asia (9.7%), Latin America (4.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (3.1%) led by Australia, and Africa (2.2%).

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of Brazil nuts still in-shell to be $2,168 per ton in 2023. That dollar amount reflects a -1.9% downtick from the average tonnage rate of $2,210 during 2022.

Exports of shelled Brazil nuts demand a much higher unit price. For shelled Brazil nuts, the average unit price paid by importers was $6,534 per ton in 2023 down by -24.9% from the average tonnage rate of $8,699 for 2022. The higher average price results in part from shelling labor costs and other processing expenses.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 080121 for fresh or dried Brazil nuts in shell, and 080122 for fresh or dried shelled Brazil nuts.

Drilling down on those categories, 95.8% of Brazil nuts exported worldwide by value were for shelled Brazil nuts. The remaining 4.2% was paid for Brazil nuts in shell, down from 7.4% for 2022.

Top Brazil Nuts Exports by Country

Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of Brazil nuts during 2023, regardless of whether the shipped Brazil nuts were in-shell or shelled.

  1. Bolivia: US$115.4 million (47.5% of total exported Brazil nuts)
  2. Germany: $36.1 million (14.8%)
  3. Peru: $30.1 million (12.4%)
  4. Brazil: $25.2 million (10.4%)
  5. Netherlands: $15.1 million (6.2%)
  6. Spain: $4.9 million (2%)
  7. United States: $4.2 million (1.7%)
  8. United Kingdom: $1.9 million (0.8%)
  9. Türkiye: $1.14 million (0.5%)
  10. Italy: $1.09 million (0.5%)
  11. Greece: $838,000 (0.3%)
  12. France: $761,000 (0.3%)
  13. Canada: $670,000 (0.3%)
  14. Lithuania: $621,000 (0.3%)
  15. Vietnam: $505,000 (0.2%)
  16. Thailand: $469,000 (0.2%)
  17. Czech Republic: $443,000 (0.2%)
  18. Poland: $397,000 (0.2%)
  19. South Korea: $343,000 (0.1%)
  20. Estonia: $333,000 (0.1%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 99% of globally exported Brazil nuts in 2023.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing Brazil nuts exporters since 2022 were: Thailand (up 393.7%), Türkiye (up 187.2%), France (up 126.5%) and Spain (up 65.6%).

Those countries that posted declines in their exported Brazil nuts sales were led by: South Korea (down -76.2% from 2022), Canada (down -48.3%), Bolivia (down -41.5%), Poland (down -31.2%) and Estonia (down -28.7%).

Top Brazil Nuts Imports by Country

Overall spending on imported Brazil nuts slipped by -26.2% over the 5-year period starting in 2019 and dropped by -28.8% year over year since 2022.

Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of Brazil nuts imported during 2023, for any Brazil nuts regardless of whether shelled or not.

  1. Germany: US$39.5 million (17.2% of total imported Brazil nuts)
  2. United States: $37.7 million (16.5%)
  3. United Kingdom: $21.5 million (9.4%)
  4. Netherlands: $13.7 million (6%)
  5. France: $12.6 million (5.5%)
  6. South Korea: $9.5 million (4.1%)
  7. Poland: $7.6 million (3.3%)
  8. Italy: $7.5 million (3.3%)
  9. Spain: $6.9 million (3%)
  10. Canada: $6.8 million (3%)
  11. Australia: $5.7 million (2.5%)
  12. Belgium: $4.4 million (1.9%)
  13. mainland China: $4.4 million (1.9%)
  14. Brazil: $4.3 million (1.9%)
  15. Peru: $4 million (1.7%)
  16. Switzerland: $3.2 million (1.4%)
  17. Czech Republic: $3 million (1.3%)
  18. Colombia: $2 million (0.9%)
  19. Israel: $2 million (0.9%)
  20. Ireland: $1.7 million (0.7%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 86.4% of globally imported Brazil nuts in 2023.

Among the top importers, the fastest-growing Brazil nuts importers since 2022 were: mainland China (up 162.5%), Brazil (up 98.9%), Poland (up 39%) and Ireland (up 32.3%).

Those countries that posted declines in their imported Brazil nuts purchases were led by: Peru (down -58.3% from 2022), United States of America (down -55%), Canada (down -54.6%), Israel (down -37%) and the United Kingdom (down -33.3%).

Imported In-Shell Brazil Nuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of in-shell Brazil nuts was US$2,168 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of unshelled Brazil nuts by weight, Peru, was lower at $1,006.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported in-shell Brazil nuts in 2023.

  1. El Salvador: US$70 per ton (2022 data unavailable from 2022)
  2. Benin: $171 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  3. Brunei Darussalam: $306 per ton (up 0.7%)
  4. Nepal: $333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  5. St Maarten (Dutch): $333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  6. Bolivia: $461 per ton (down -58.8%)
  7. Suriname: $868 per ton (down -34.9%)
  8. Jamaica: $1,000 per ton (down -50%)
  9. Dominican Republic: $1,000 per ton (down -83.3%)
  10. Peru: $1,006 per ton (down -33.9%)
  11. Spain: $1,976 per ton (down -27.9%)
  12. Romania: $2,571 per ton (down -67.9%)
  13. United Arab Emirates: $2,710 per ton (down -55.6%)
  14. Saudi Arabia: $3,000 per ton (down -88.9%)
  15. Ireland: $3,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)

The severest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for in-shell Brazil nuts from 2022 to 2023 were enjoyed by buyers in Saudi Arabia (down -88.9% from 2022), Dominican Republic (down -83.3%), Romania (down -67.9%) and Bolivia (down -58.8%).

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported in-shell Brazil nuts.

  1. Netherlands: US$24,591 per ton (up 66.4% from 2022)
  2. Austria: $18,333 per ton (up 31%)
  3. Finland: $14,500 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  4. Iceland: $11,875 per ton (down -34.8%)
  5. Norway: $11,500 per ton (up 58.6%)
  6. Croatia: $9,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  7. Switzerland: $9,000 per ton (down -43.8%)
  8. Canada: $8,500 per ton (up 203.6%)
  9. Bahamas: $8,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  10. Germany: $7,615 per ton (up 37.6%)
  11. France: $7,357 per ton (up 50.1%)
  12. United Kingdom: $7,071 per ton (up 76.1%)
  13. New Zealand: $7,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  14. Belgium: $7,000 per ton (up 173.1%)
  15. Portugal: $6,333 per ton (down -36.7%)

Triple-digit accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were experienced by importers in Canada (up 203.6%) and Belgium (up 173.1%).

Imported Shelled Brazil Nuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of shelled Brazil nuts was US$6,534 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of shelled Brazil nuts by weight, Germany, was slightly higher at $6,568.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported Brazil nuts in 2023 that that have already had their shells removed.

  1. Cambodia: US$111 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  2. Saint Kitts/Nevis: $167 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  3. St Maarten (Dutch): $333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  4. Kyrgyzstan: $404 per ton (down -59.6% from 2022)
  5. Laos: $500 per ton (down -25%)
  6. Kazakhstan: $732 per ton (down -27.5%)
  7. Sri Lanka: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  8. Ghana: $1,333 per ton (down -55.6%)
  9. Guyana: $1,500 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  10. Estonia: $1,815 per ton (down -66.3%)
  11. Uganda: $1,885 per ton (up 88.5%)
  12. Antigua/Barbuda: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  13. Democratic Republic Congo: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  14. Grenada: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  15. Kenya: $2,000 per ton (down -78.9%)

The sharpest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for shelled Brazil nuts belong to low-cost importers in Kenya (down -78.9% from 2022), Estonia (down -66.3%), Kyrgyzstan (down -59.6%) and Ghana (down -55.6%).

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported Brazil nuts without their shells .

  1. Bermuda: US$17,500 per ton (down -12.5% from 2022)
  2. Iceland: $13,400 per ton (up 3.1%)
  3. Oman: $13,250 per ton (up 48.7%)
  4. Bahamas: $13,000 per ton (up 100%)
  5. Barbados: $13,000 per ton (up 100%)
  6. Mongolia: $13,000 per ton (up 333.3%)
  7. Switzerland: $12,697 per ton (down -3.1%)
  8. Luxembourg: $12,500 per ton (down -2.9%)
  9. Qatar: $10,500 per ton (up 13.5%)
  10. Taiwan: $10,306 per ton (down -22.3%)
  11. Denmark: $10,207 per ton (down -1.1%)
  12. Finland: $10,115 per ton (up 8.7%)
  13. El Salvador: $10,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  14. Cyprus: $9,462 per ton (down -3.8%)
  15. Lebanon: $9,250 per ton (2022 data unavailable)

The greatest increases in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were experienced by importers of shelled Brazil nuts in Bermuda (up 333.3%), Iceland (up 100%), Oman (up 100%) and the Bahamas (up 48.7%).

See also Top Peanuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Almonds Exporters by Country, Top Walnut Exporters by Country and Top Cashews Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Pistachios Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Hazelnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Chestnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Brazil Nut Showroom. Accessed on November 4, 2024

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on November 4, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on November 4, 2024

Wikipedia, Brazil nut. Accessed on November 4, 2024

Wikipedia, Selenium. Accessed on November 4, 2024