A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with ethanol industry leaders looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil.

“Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs for USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. “The country’s growing population and rising per-capita income, coupled with the fact that Brazilian consumers have a high regard for U.S. products and brands, make this a market well worth exploring for American exporters.”

Last year, Brazil purchased nearly $1.4 billion in agricultural and related products from the United States. Top U.S. exports to Brazil in 2016 included ethanol, wheat, prepared foods and dairy products.

The delegation traveling to Brazil represents a range of U.S. products, from prepared foods and specialty food ingredients to bulk commodities and ethanol. Among the ethanol companies and organizations represented on the trip are all three ethanol industry organizations, and member companies including E Energy Adams and Green Plains of Nebraska and Lakeview Energy in Chicago.