Partnership will incentive the participation of great Brazilian industries on the fair which, for the next year, will have exhibition area 60% greater on the comparison with the first edition.

ABIA (Brazilian Association of the Food Industry) will repeat the successful partnership with Koelnmesse do Brasil for the realization of the 2nd edition of ANUFOOD Brazil, Exclusive International Fair for the Food and Beverage Sector, which will take place between March 9 and 11, 2020, at São Paulo Expo. For João Dornellas, Executive President of ABIA, the objective of the partnership is to support the participation of members, which include major industry players, in the event.

“The first edition of ANUFOOD Brazil received more than seven thousand visitors from 39 countries and can be considered a success. Events like this are very important to attract investments and foster business in the Brazilian food sector, the most important of our economy”, says the executive.

In view of these results, Dornellas believes that this year’s event exceeded the expectations of both the entity and its members. “ABIA was very satisfied with the result of the event, mainly because of the high level of debates promoted and the quality of the exhibiting companies”, she analyzes. “The food industries welcome the initiative to bring to Brazil the largest food fair in the world. We hope that in 2020 the Brazilian edition will be even bigger, breaking the record number of visits achieved in 2019”.

The executive believes that the economic recovery of Brazil and the faster return on investment by the private sector will be able to improve the business environment. “In the food industry sector this is no different. ABIA is optimistic that the market will recover this year. It is important to emphasize that a significant portion of the food industry’s revenue comes from the foreign market, subject, therefore, to exchange rate fluctuations. At this time, the projection for sales in real terms is close to 2% in 2019. On exports, the outlook is to close the year with sales in value close to that of the previous year, of US$ 35 billion.

For Koelnmesse’s general director, Cassiano Facchinetti, the partnership with ABIA and the other associations that represent the companies in the sector is strategic. “The fair is fully supported by the entities of the sector, which can mobilize the food and beverage segments and enrich the debate and the search for solutions to common problems of these entrepreneurs”.

In total, the food sector had a 2.08% growth in revenues in 2018, reaching R$ 656 billion, added to exports and sales to the domestic market, which represents 9.6% of GDP, according to a cyclical survey conducted by ABIA.

The food industry generated 13,000 new jobs in 2018. Total investments in assets and mergers and acquisitions reached R$ 21.4 billion, an increase of 13.4% against R$ 18.9 billion in 2017.

The good performance of consumption in the domestic market was maintained and absorbs, according to the association, about 80% of the industry’s sales. The growth was 4.3%, adding up to the increase in retail sales and in the food service segment.

Exports of Industrialized Foods

Brazil is the second largest exporter of processed foods in the world. Last year, the sector exported to more than 180 countries, which represented 19.3% of the total sales volume.

The significant highlight was China, which in addition to being the main importer of Brazil, registered an increase of 37.6% compared to 2017. The Netherlands grew 4%, followed by the United States, which grew 3%.

In the year, exports fell by 9.8%, closing 2018 at US$ 35.1 billion of processed foods against US$ 38.9 billion recorded in 2017.

According to ABIA data, the food industry sector is the one that employs the most in the country. Formed by 35,700 companies, it is responsible for 1.61 million direct jobs, accounting for 26.8% of jobs in the manufacturing industry. It invests around 3% of its annual revenues in R&D (Research and Development), new plants, new products and marketing. It also represents, in processed foods, 50% of agribusiness food exports and 18% of total Brazilian exports.