Expozebu starts with foreign appeal for dairy cattle – 04/28/2023 – Market

Expozebu, the main fair for Zebu breeds in the world, will open this Saturday (29) in Uberaba, in the Triângulo Mineiro region, with a strong interest from international visitors for dairy cattle raised in Brazil.

Organized by ABCZ (Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders), the exhibition reaches its 88th edition with the expectation of reaching R$ 350 million in business and receiving 430 thousand visitors until May 7th.

The Zebu cattle breeds originate in India and have favorable genetic characteristics to be bred in Brazil. This category includes, for example, Nellore, Brahman, Guzerat, Gir, Indubrasil, Cangaian and Tabapuã cattle. Zebu represent more than 80% of the national cattle herd –between purebred animals and crossbreeds–, estimated at around 220 million head of cattle.

“The demand for zebu dairy genetics is growing, mainly from Asian countries. Today, what is most exported in Brazil are embryos and semen of the dairy breeds, used as pure or through crossing to make the girolando. This demand is growing”, said the president of ABCZ, Gabriel Garcia Cid.

The expectation is that more than 600 foreign visitors visit the city of Minas Gerais to participate in the fair, with the objective of knowing the genetic work developed in Brazil. If the number is equivalent to that of international visitors last year, the interest is greater, according to the president of the association.

“It has been growing a little each year. From South America, Bolivia is very strong, it is a country where livestock is growing a lot”, he said.

Today the sector exports the animal or genetic material to virtually all of Latin America and countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Visitors from at least 25 countries are expected at Expozebu, including Mexico, the United States, Portugal, Pakistan, Nigeria, India and New Zealand.

Of the BRL 350 million projected in business during the event, BRL 100 million was estimated for the 40 auctions and programmed animal malls – three of them even before the opening.

Sales, however, may exceed the estimate depending on the performance of certain animals in the closing events.

In last year’s edition, for example, the cow Viatina-19 FIV had 50% of its rights sold for BRL 3.99 million in one of the auctions linked to Expozebu (BRL 4.13 million, adjusted for inflation).

The Gir Iluminada Teatro FIV do Fundão cow broke the world record in milk production per day, weighing 80.15 kg.

Last year, auctions during the livestock fair raised R$ 110.7 million. The remainder of the billing forecast refers to the sale of vehicles and implements and the movement of other services in the Fernando Costa park, which hosts the ABCZ and the event.

DIALOGUE

Last Tuesday (25), Cid met in Brasilia with the Vice President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), and invited him to participate in the event, but his presence was not confirmed. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) did not have a schedule available to attend, according to the association.

Since Getúlio Vargas (1882-1954) inaugurated the park that hosts the event, in May 1941, only two presidents have not been to the fair during their mandates — interim governments are not included.
The only ones who did not participate in the exhibition, according to data from the Zebu Museum, were Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who governed the country between 1946 and 1951, and Jânio Quadros, president between January and August 1961.

Juscelino Kubitschek, Ernesto Geisel, Fernando Collor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Lula, Dilma Rousseff, Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro are some of the politicians who governed the country and participated in the opening of the fair. All rulers of the military regime (1964-1985) and presidents since redemocratization have been to the city of Minas Gerais.

Cid stated that the association is positioned to dialogue with all governments, regardless of political parties and positions.

The journalist traveled at the invitation of ABCZ (Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders)