Export performance of agribusiness in the state of Ceará

Abstract

This study analyzes the export performance of the twelve main products of agribusiness of the state of Ceará, Brazil, from 2001 to 2011. In order to achieve that, the following indicators were used: Vollrath’s revealed comparative advantage indices, contribution to the trade balance, revealed competitiveness, and intra-industry trade. The data were collected by the Secretariat of Foreign Commerce (Secex), an institution linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Commerce (MDIC). The results revealed that many products – cashew nut, bee honey, vegetable waxes, pineapple, banana, melon, watermelon, leather and skins, lobster, shrimp, flowers and vegetable extract – exported by the state of Ceará had advantages in comparison with Brazil. Among these products, it was found that the cashew nut, bee honey, vegetable waxes, melon, leather and skins, and shrimp showed to be strongly competitive in the international trade. In addition, this study identified the predominance of inter-industry trade for the analyzed products.