Insight Focus
Sorghum is gaining ground in Brazil. Climate resilience has helped lift production from 347,000 tonnes to 6 million tonnes in the past four decades. The beginning of exports to China and the use of sorghum in bioenergy production are set to position the crop as a strategic asset.
Highly drought-resistant and adapted to less fertile soils, sorghum has gone from being a secondary crop in Brazil to a strategic asset. The cereal is gaining ground as an alternative to crops such as corn in late planting windows, when sowing occurs later than usual due to climatic factors.
In less than four decades, national production jumped from 347,000 tonnes to approximately 6 million tonnes, driven by expansion in the Cerrado, Brazil’s main grain-producing region. In the last five years alone, output increased by 145%. Over the past decade, growth has reached approximately 200%.
Source: Conab
The development of varieties with high yield potential and tolerance to water stress has been fundamental to this expansion. The performance of new cultivars, created by Embrapa and other research institutions, has proven to be quite satisfactory.
Many were developed specifically for the Central-West region, western Bahia and western Minas Gerais—important grain-growing centres. Not surprisingly, these regions have excelled in sorghum production.
Source: Conab
Added to this is the attractive production cost, on average 30% lower than that of second-crop corn, completing the recipe for success.
Farmers save on inputs: sorghum, considered a more rustic crop, requires less fertilizer and fewer pesticides. Furthermore, it generally demands less water, another important advantage.
However, the return on second-crop corn is usually higher than that of sorghum, which is still cultivated on a smaller scale and with more limited yield. While second-crop corn yields exceed 6 tonnes/ha, sorghum yields have been around 3.5 tonnes/ha.
Source: Conab
It is true that there has been a leap in recent years, but the average Brazilian yield is still below its agronomic potential, which exceeds 10 tonnes/ha in intensively managed areas.
This result is achieved with greater investment in production, including the use of high-quality inputs and improved agricultural techniques. Rigorous pest control is part of this package.
Exports Should Take Off
Historically, sorghum exports have followed an irregular trajectory, meeting more specific demands in the global market. Production has traditionally been geared toward serving the domestic market, particularly for livestock and poultry farming.
In recent years, however, external sales have begun to register significant growth. In 2024, exports reached almost 180,000 tonnes, representing an increase of 440% compared to the previous year.
Source: Comex
Brazil still exports significantly less sorghum than Argentina, one of the world’s largest exporters of the commodity. The neighbouring country exported approximately 1.5 million tonnes of sorghum in 2024, according to the USDA.
But this is expected to begin changing. In November 2024, Brazil and China signed a phytosanitary protocol ensuring compliance with quality standards and sanitary controls.
As a second step in this agreement, in November of this year, 10 Brazilian establishments underwent the official approval process by Chinese authorities and were authorised to export sorghum to China.
Sorghum plantation
This is great news for the Brazilian market. China is the world’s largest importer of sorghum, with demand of approximately 5.7 million tonnes per year, according to the USDA.
Source: WITS
In recent years, China has been replacing some of the corn used in animal feed with sorghum, considered a more economical alternative. Today, Brazil is one of Beijing’s largest trading partners in grain supply. In 2024, the Latin American agriculture giant exported approximately 2.2 million tonnes of corn and 72.5 million tonnes of soybeans to China.
Sorghum could replicate an export trajectory similar to that of soybeans and other grains. This would generate a series of competitive advantages for the sorghum market, such as standardised futures contracts and the attraction of companies interested in trading the commodity.
Bioenergy Market Lifts Sorghum’s Long-Term Prospects
Another factor that could reposition sorghum in Brazil is the bioenergy market. Corn ethanol plants have been testing sorghum as a complementary raw material to reduce supply risks.
Among the main advantages of sorghum are its high biomass production capacity and short crop cycle—typically between 90 and 120 days, compared to 120-150 days for corn.
However, the market still lacks greater predictability and security, both for rural producers and for industry. There is room, for example, to improve coordination between mills and farmers on issues such as crop planning, delivery deadlines and purchase volumes.
There is a path to be followed. But, just as happened with sugarcane 30 years ago, sorghum has everything it needs to establish itself as a strategic crop. Integration into global supply chains and the increasing use of the commodity in animal feed and bioenergy production should be fundamental to this process.
