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Brazil - Livestock Production
Livestock
Brazil's livestock sector went through a similar process of selective
modernization. Until the early 1970s, it remained quite backward;
its expansion relied chiefly on the incorporation of more land and
animals into production. Following the expansion of agribusiness
complexes, livestock production processes also changed. However,
major differences exist between the modern and the traditional segments
of the beef-cattle, poultry, and swine subsectors--the country's
main livestock subsectors.
Between 1970 and 1991, Brazil's beef-cattle herd grew at a 3.1
percent average yearly rate, from 78.5 million to 152.1 million
head; the slaughter of beef-cattle increased from 9.6 million to
13.9 million head; and the total carcass weight increased from 1.8
million to 2.9 million tons. However, these numbers hide large regional
differences (see table 11, Appendix). The beef-cattle industry in
areas near the country's more developed core has experienced considerable
modernization, interlocked with the expansion of a dynamic agribusiness
sector, which supplies the industry with modern inputs and slaughters
and processes its animals for domestic and world markets. As a result,
Brazil's beef exports
increased from 98,300 tons of chilled beef and 15,800 tons of processed
beef in 1970, at a total value of US$298.6 million (in 1992 dollars),
to 96,800 tons of chilled beef and 127,300 tons of processed beef
in 1992, at a total value of US$618.1 million. A still substantial
traditional beef-cattle industry can be found in the frontier areas
or in the more backward parts of Brazil; its productivity remains
very low, and it is plagued by serious sanitary and management problems.
The poultry subsector experienced spectacular improvements from
1970 to 1991, changing from a small, backyard-based production into
a modern industry. This change is reflected in the fact that, while
the poultry flock increased 2.8 times between 1970 and 1990, from
214.3 million to 594.3 million head, the total carcass weight of
the fowl slaughtered commercially increased twenty-one times, from
85,400 to 1.8 million tons. Moreover, the export of poultry products,
which in 1970 was negligible, in 1992 amounted to 378,000 tons,
representing a total value of US$455.6 million. The transformation
of the poultry subsector into a modern industry was achieved through
the development of agribusiness complexes. These modern enterprises
play a central role; they provide farmers with inputs, with genetic
material, and with technical assistance, in addition to buying the
finished poultry from the farmers.
As for pork, the swine herd increased only 33.9 percent between
1970 and 1991, from 25.6 million to 34.3 million animals. However,
a small portion of this subsector experienced considerable changes,
also induced by agribusiness. Until the early 1990s, the Brazilian
swine herd was composed overwhelmingly of mixed breeds of low-quality,
lard-producing animals. Moreover, the management of the herd was
primitive, and poor sanitation was a problem. The growing modern
segment of the pork industry has a high-quality herd of meat-producing
animals. Management practices have improved considerably, and there
is a similar interaction between farmers and commercial and industrial
enterprises.
Data as of April 1997
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