China was the biggest customer for Brazil’s agricultural and livestock product exports in July, increasing its share from 25.5 percent to 32.1 percent, said the Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil.

Data from the Foreign Trade Statistics System of the Brazilian Agribusiness (Agrostat), cited by the daily newspaper Estado de São Paulo, showed China bought Brazilian farm products worth US$2.92 billion in July, up by 19.2 percent year-on-year.

Soya products – beans, bran and oil – was the single most valuable farm product category sold to China last month, accounting for US$2.47 billion of the total China purchased. The top three categories included forest products and meats, with exports to China worth US$185.26 million and US$127.39 million, respectively.

In the seven months to July 31, the figures from Agrosat showed that China topped the list of foreign customers for Brazil’s agro exports, with orders worth US$14.67 billion. China was the biggest importer of agricultural and livestock products from Brazil in 2014, with orders worth US$22.07 billion.

In the first half of 2015, Brazil remained the top trade partner of China among the Portuguese-speaking Countries. Total trade between the two nations was US$34.2 billion in the January to June period, according to data from China Customs.