Venezuelan agricultural exports registered a growth of 99% between 2017 and 2022, led by seafood and alcoholic beverages, according to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture, based on data from the firm Data Trade Monitor.
“Agricultural products have become the most important non-oil segment of Venezuelan exports,” states the document, indicating that sales increased from $344 million in 2017 to $685 million in 2022.
The report details that Venezuelan agricultural exports are primarily directed to the European Union (38%) and the United States (29%), and the main products include crab, shrimp, tuna, fresh/chilled fish, rum, cocoa beans, forest products, and coffee.
Venezuelan agricultural imports
The same report from the United States Department of Agriculture, based on data from the firm Data Trade Monitor, states that Venezuelan agricultural imports grew by 22% in 2022 in terms of value, while in volume, they remained virtually stagnant at 4.2 million metric tons.
The report reiterates that with these imports, Venezuela covers 60% of its food needs and points out that “in the last five years, the United States and Brazil have gained market share in Venezuela largely due to the phasing out of the regime as the primary importer of agricultural products, allowing the private sector to drive the selection of suppliers and products.”
The products that Venezuela imported the most in 2022 were soybean meal, soybean oil, corn, pasta and bakery products, sugar, wheat, rice, dairy products, milled grains, and soup/food preparations.