Grain exports should not be affected by new coronavirus, association says

Brazil's grain export estimates this year remained unchanged even as global markets battered global markets as the new coronavirus advanced rapidly, the National Association of Cereal Exporters (Anec). The director general of Anec, Sérgio Mendes, said by telephone that the entity maintains the projection that Brazil will export 73 million to 74 million tons of soybeans this year, in addition to 34 million to 35 million tons of corn. "Sometimes we are criticized for exporting primary products. Thank God we export food," Mendes said. Uncertainty The impact of the new coronavirus is still considered an uncertainty for the agricultural sector, according to experts heard by G1. This is because there is no prediction of when the most critical period of the disease will pass. The first assessment is that even if there is a disruption of shipments in the coming weeks, the demand for food will continue to exist. This can generate a "rebound effect", that is, the purchase that was initially dammed can be effected later. "Food-related products tend to be more resilient because, whether they like it or not, people don't reduce the pattern of food consumption so much, especially if it's a temporary economic crisis," says analyst Vitor Andrioli of the consultancy American FC Stone.