Portugal relied heavily on sugarcane and gold production in Brazil during the colonial period. Sugarcane was the most important agricultural good shipped from Brazil to Europe by Portugal from the 1530s to 1700s, with the cultivation done by African slaves transported to Brazil. Gold became the main economic activity in Brazil in the early 1800s, with Portugal using the gold to purchase goods from other countries like England, though gold extraction was primarily done by slaves and tightly regulated by the Portuguese king.