From the Newsroom
São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness export to the Arab countries has risen to almost US$ 169 million in April, this means a 102.5% increase with relation to April last year, when the total registered was US$ 83.4 million, according to information supplied by the Agriculture Ministry.
The main destinations in the region in the month were Saudi Arabia (US$ 32.9 million), the United Arab Emirates (US$ 28.9 million), Egypt (22.9 million), Morocco (US$ 20.4 million) and Algeria (US$ 20.1 million).
The largest growth, however, was identified in shipping to Syria, which imported the equivalent to US$ 10.28 million in April, against just US$ 224,800 registered in the same month in 2003, a 4,476.44% increase.
Syrian import from Brazil is mainly focussed on sugar and coffee. Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) president Paulo Sérgio Atallah had previously stated his belief that part of the export to Syria is probably being re-exported to Iraq, as both countries have a large common frontier.
Iraq was also a highlight in agribusiness export in April. The country was 7th in the rank of importers in the region, with purchases of over US$ 7 million.
There has been an expressive increase in sector export to most of the Arab countries. Revenues with shipping to the Emirates rose 236.23%, those to Egypt rose 131.97%, to Morocco, 179.23%, and to Algeria, 200.14%.
With regard to Tunisia, export totalled US$ 5.47 million in April, against US$ 342,760 in April last year, which means a growth of 1,498.21%. To Lebanon the value was around US$ 4.5 million, a 99.83% increase. Yemen, in turn, purchased the equivalent to US$ 2.8 million, or 74.25% more than in April 2003. Sales to Libya generated revenues of over US$ 2 million, against US$ 50,700 registered in the same period last year, a 3,878.42% increase.
To Mauritania the growth in revenues was 1,292.53%, rising from US$ 112,800 to US$ 1.57 million. Sudan imported the equivalent to US$ 403,100, 113.23% greater than the US$ 189,000 registered in April last year.
Four months
The accumulated result for the first four months of the year shows that agribusiness export to the Arab countries has already generated US$ 816.6 million, against US$ 415.2 million in the same period last year, a 96.67% increase.
The main products shipped to the region in the first four months were: sugar, chicken, wheat, cattle beef, and coffee, in this order.
Agribusiness is responsible for the largest part of Brazilian export to the Arab countries. The total shipped to the region in the first four months of the year (including all products) totalled US$ 1.136 billion.
