Dynamics of imports of sheep meat in Brazil: analysis of temporal components

Abstract

The sheep production is an important livestock activity in Brazil. Its production stretches away into the country, a source of income and livelihood. On the demand side, there is an increase in domestic consumption, driven by the increased purchasing power of the population. To meet the growing demand, Brazil access international markets through of sheep meat imports. In this context, the work aims to analyze the dynamics of sheep meat imports in Brazil from 2000 to 2012, giving particular attention to the tendency and seasonality of the quantity imported. The data of volume and value of imports were collected from the system AliceWeb. Statistical analysis followed the multiplicative time series model. Identified an upward tendency of sheep meat import, with annual growth of 5.09% in the period. Still, the total quantity commercialized, there is the purchase of sheep bone cuts. There was the seasonal behavior in the import of sheep meat, focusing primarily in the months of the end of the year, with import volumes 68% higher than the average of the total amount. The main trading partner of Brazil is the Uruguay, market responsible for at least 80% of the annual volume of import.