As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenIgor Patrickin Rio de JaneiroPublished: 3:28am, 10 Apr 2026Updated: 3:32am, 10 Apr 2026Brazil is set to exhaust its annual beef export quota to China by early May, industry officials said, as cattle prices hit a nominal record and Beijing’s import restrictions forced exporters across South America to scramble for alternative markets.The benchmark price for finished cattle tracked by the Centre for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics at the University of São Paulo reached R$365 (US$71.57) per arroba (per 11.5-15kg) on Wednesday, a gain of 12.5 per cent over the past 12 months, driven by a rush to ship before the quota window closes.
The daily average of 10,630 tonnes was 8.6 per cent above March 2025 and 40.7 per cent above the same period in 2024. Monthly export revenue reached around R$7 billion (US$1.37 billion), with an average price of R$29,900 (US$5,863) per tonne.
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