**6. Analysis of the potential export market for Quilombola honey**

Honey is a trendy product nowadays [60]. This trend is illustrated by the global Honey market, where Honey's international production is continuously increasing [61, 62]. Garcia (President of the International Organization of Honey Exporters)

#### **Figure 5.**

*Trade import value of honey 2014–2018. Top ten importing countries measured by 2018 [68].*

**227**

the USA in 2017 [89].

*Quilombo Communities and Opportunities for Market-Driven Mechanisms for the Protection…*

attributes the rise in production to the increased demand. Garcia explains the increase in consumption by the increased world population and interest in natural nutrition [63]. The growing consumption of Honey can be explained to its image as a natural product that is not directly linked by society as a source of sugar and is, therefore, not associated with obesity [64]. However, Honey is rich in sugar and is not necessarily healthier [65]. Furthermore, Honey is also very popular within

home medicine remedy [66, 67], contributing to increased consumption.

we will concentrate on the two largest importers, the USA and Germany.

Honey prices in 2018; it shows a price alignment within the US market [74]. In 2019, the EU concluded a free trade agreement with the Mercosur states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay), under which around 92% of taxes on imported goods are to be abolished. Accordingly, it can be presumed that revenues from sales to the EU will increase further. However, within the agreement, the Mercosur states have committed themselves to sustainable forest management [75]. Klöckner (Federal Minister of Agriculture from Germany) emphasized under the current rainforest clearing that if Brazil does not meet its commitment to sustainable forest management, the German government will not accept it inactively [76]. Germany also supports Brazil within the framework of the "bilateral development cooperation," which (as of 20 February 2020) supports 104 projects and programs with a total of EUR 1.76 billion [77]. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the EU is in favor of stringent product safety regulations [78–85]. Thus, the barriers to selling

a food product on the EU market are correspondingly high.

Many countries are no longer able to cover their domestic production needs and import Honey [63]. The trade import value from 2014 to 2018 is shown in **Figure 5** and illustrates the high demand. By far, the USA had the highest import rate in 2018, followed by Germany and Japan, France, and the UK. The chart also displays that the USA and Germany's ranking remained constant over the period shown [68]. However, to answer which export market is the most promising for the Brazilian community, no reports exist in the literature. Thus, adopting a pragmatic approach,

With imports of 197,866,579 kg, the USA offers a higher volume than Germany with 82,483,285 kg, in 2018, which makes the market opportunities in the USA appear more promising. However, comparing the revenues it in the USA (EUR 2.14/kg) was gained less than in Germany (EUR 2.85/kg) [68] and looking at the EU import prices of Brazil Honey (EUR 3.34/kg) is even higher in 2018 [69]. However, depending on the use, quality (e.g., conventional, organic), and distribution channel of the Honey, a substantial price differentiation occurs in Germany [70–72]. In contrast, the USA has little or no price differentiation between conventional and organic Honey [73]. Also, the United States Department of Agriculture shows a significant drop in organic

Guaranteeing the safety of products is also essential in the USA. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the guidelines for food. Production facilities and dealers must be registered with the FDA [86]. The USA also has Honey specific regulations such as proper labeling "FDA-2006-P-0207" [87]. In 2014, the Agricultural Marketing Service had asked: "How a Federal standard of identity for Honey would be in the interest of consumers, the Honey industry, and US agriculture?" [88]. Moreover, it responds to various petitions that demand such clarification [88]. In principle, there is also significant economic cooperation between the USA and Brazil. The USA claims to be the second largest trading partner of Brazil, which resulted in an overall trade surplus of more than USD 20 billion on the part of

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93976*

**7. The US and German honey market**

*Quilombo Communities and Opportunities for Market-Driven Mechanisms for the Protection… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93976*

attributes the rise in production to the increased demand. Garcia explains the increase in consumption by the increased world population and interest in natural nutrition [63]. The growing consumption of Honey can be explained to its image as a natural product that is not directly linked by society as a source of sugar and is, therefore, not associated with obesity [64]. However, Honey is rich in sugar and is not necessarily healthier [65]. Furthermore, Honey is also very popular within home medicine remedy [66, 67], contributing to increased consumption.

Many countries are no longer able to cover their domestic production needs and import Honey [63]. The trade import value from 2014 to 2018 is shown in **Figure 5** and illustrates the high demand. By far, the USA had the highest import rate in 2018, followed by Germany and Japan, France, and the UK. The chart also displays that the USA and Germany's ranking remained constant over the period shown [68].

However, to answer which export market is the most promising for the Brazilian community, no reports exist in the literature. Thus, adopting a pragmatic approach, we will concentrate on the two largest importers, the USA and Germany.
