São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness exports to the Middle East reached USD 689.33 million in May, up 31.6% from a year ago, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply reported this Tuesday (13). Overall, industry exports amounted to USD 9.68 billion, up 12.8%.
The list of top 20 importers of Brazilian agribusiness goods last month included two Arab countries: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi ranked 13th at USD 159 million worth of imports, down 20.5% from May 2016. The UAE placed 17th at USD 145.85 million worth of imports, up 146% from a year ago.
The Ministry said that when it came to overall exports, the top-selling item was soy beans, bran and oil, which accounted for 48.8% of total sales. Brazil’s agribusiness industry exported USD 4.72 billion worth of products in May, up 7.5% from May 2016.
Soybeans exports amounted to 10.96 million tons, a monthly all-time and exceeding the 10 million ton-mark for the second straight month.
Meats were the second best-selling item, but revenue dropped 4.1% year-on-year in May. Sugar and ethanol ranked third at USD 1.08 billion exported, up 49.2% from May 2016.
Year-to-date figures
Year-to-date through May, agribusiness exports grossed USD 38.86 billion, up 5.9% from the year-ago period. Exports to the Middle East reached USD 3.41 billion, up 15.1%.
Saudi Arabia was the third leading buyer at USD 1.022 billion, up 123.3% from January to May 2016. The UAE placed 17th at USD 521.3 million worth of imports, up 14%. Algeria was the 19th leading importer at USD 509 million, up 31.3%.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
