Abstract

This paper presents a descriptive study about the economic activity in cattle fairs from Alagoas’ countryside, Brazil, through visits in loco, application of questionnaires and secondary data obtained from Adeal in the two main fairs on Alagoas’ countryside, Brazil. The objective was to study the quantity of animals in the events, identifying the marketing channel and its segments, the negotiation volume and value, and also how to describe the working of this fair, the types of consumers and other agents. The sampling of secondary data was obtained through the animal transit guide (GTA) in the defense and farming system (Sidagro) to the Canafistula fair on the period of March to September of 2015. On this sampling, the total number of bovine that entered the fairs was 30,732 heads with 521 bovine negotiated in average, coming not only from Alagoas but also from Pernambuco and Sergipe, with 93, 04 and 03% being the respective percentages. The number of deals in average was 128 by fair, according to the data period collected in 47 fairs. The value negotiated per week, adding both fairs, is in average R$474,711.04 or US$131,135.65. The cattle fairs from Alagoas’ countryside have three possible buyers’ types, that are classified as for slaughter, trade and rearing. Thus it was possible to diagnose, in a way, the economic relevance of the event as also the confirmation of a distribution channel and consequently its macrosegments.

Key words: Cattle fair, economy, marketing channel, Alagoas.