Mato Grosso emerges as a global powerhouse in beef exports, accounting for 3% of world trade in the protein

Mato Grosso is responsible for approximately 3% of global beef exports. If it were a country, it would rank 9th among the world’s top beef exporters, according to data from Brazil’s Federal Inspection Service (SIF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 2024, the state produced 1.7 million tons of beef, ranking first nationally with 17.1% of Brazil’s total output. A total of 6.6 million cattle were slaughtered during the period, consolidating Mato Grosso’s position as Brazil’s top beef producer.

“Mato Grosso is a key beef production hub and has gained international attention not only for its volume of fresh meat but also for its exports of offal and animal by-products. The consistent growth in exports over recent years has boosted the sector’s optimism,” said Bruno de Jesus Andrade, Project Director at the Mato Grosso Beef Institute (Imac).
In 2025, production is expected to remain strong, with new markets on the horizon. From January to May alone, 7.3 million head of cattle were slaughtered, with a record 553,200 head processed in May.

One of the key drivers of this momentum is the recent authorization granted in June for the export of animal by-products used in the pharmaceutical industry to the Eurasian Economic Union.
According to Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan are now cleared to import items such as retinas, prostates, scapular cartilage, ovaries, and thymus glands from Brazilian cattle.

Not only Mato Grosso, but Brazil as a whole is a major exporter of beef. Below is a historical overview of Brazilian beef exports starting from January 2022. The chart was created using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Beef Exports | Jan 2022 – May 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

“The Eurasian Economic Union represents a market of 185 million people and has been increasing its demand for animal-based pharmaceutical inputs. This new authorization is part of a broader strategy to diversify Brazil’s export portfolio, reduce reliance on a limited number of buyer countries, and expand the global reach of our products,” Andrade added.

Source: Primeira Hora

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