São Paulo – The Brazilian shoe industry exported more to the Arab world early this year. The volume of pairs of shoes shipped rose from 277,600 in January last year to 341,200 in the same month in 2009, according to figures supplied by the Brazilian Association of Shoe Manufacturers (Abicalçados). The growth was 23%. Shipments totalled 63,500 more pairs of shoes in the period.
Despite the greater volume, however, there was a reduction in revenues with exports. Revenues with Brazilian shoe sales to the Arabs dropped from US$ 3.17 million in January 2008 to US$ 3.05 million in the same month this year. The reduction was 4%. This shows that Brazil sold more shoes to the Arabs, but cheaper ones. The average price of shoes was US$ 11.43 early last year and is now at US$ 8.94.
The Arab countries that purchased shoes from Brazil early this year were the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco and Oman. The greatest volume went to the Saudis, followed by the Emirates and Egypt. Saudi Arabia, however, purchased the cheapest shoes, among those sent by Brazil to the Arabs, for US$ 4.87 a pair. The most expensive shoes went to Oman, for US$ 47.
In January of the previous year, the countries that consumed Brazilian shoes in the Arab world were the same. The list, however, also included Tunisia, which did not purchase shoes from Brazil this year. In January 2008, the Emirates purchased the greatest volumes, followed by Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt.
Despite the greater exports to the Arab world, sector foreign sales in general dropped in the month of January. According to the Abicalçados, the shipments dropped 33.5% in physical volume, from 20.3 million to 13.5 million. Revenues also dropped 17.8% in comparison with the same month in 2008. They dropped from US$ 173.5 million to US$ 142.6 million. According to the organisation, the instability of the dollar in October last year, when the orders for this year were closed, also weighed heavily on the performance.
*Translated by Mark Ament
