São Paulo – Amapá was the state of Brazil whose exports to the Arab countries increased the most this year. According to figures supplied by the Foreign Trade Secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, sales from Amapá to the Arab market Amapá went from US$ 22.8 million, in the first four months of 2010, to US$ 66.5 million in the same period of this year. There was an increase of 190%.
The increase was chiefly due to iron ore, which accounted for the near-entirety of sales. Amapá shipped 546,600 tonnes of iron ore to the Arab world from January to April, as against 434,400 tonnes in the same period of 2010. Revenues from exports reached US$ 63.7 million in the first four months of this year, and US$ 22.8 million in the same period of last year. There was an increase of 178%.
According to the geologist of the Mineral Resources Department at the Amapá Industry, Trade and Mining Secretariat, Antônio Ferreira do Amaral, sales from the state to the Arabs have been growing due to an escalating demand for the ore. “Over the last few years, the demand for iron ore on the international market has grown a lot,” says Amaral, highlighting that China, however, is the leading buyer of the product from Amapá.
According to the geologist, there are several mining companies in the state, but the ones currently exporting iron ore are Anglo Ferrous and Unamgem. Zamapa operates in the sector as well, but is not exporting at the moment. According to Amaral, mining and wood cutting are the state’s main economic activities. Amapá also operates in other fields, some of which involve exports, although at a lower scale. Such is the case with the fishing industry.
Aside from iron ore, however, the state also sells wood to the Arab market. Revenues from exports of the product reached US$ 2.7 million from January until April. In the same period of 2010, no wood was sold from Amapá to the region. In the Arab world, the two buyers of products from Amapá were Bahrain and Morocco, which accounted for 34% of total sales from the state, which amounted to US$ 196.2 million.
After Amapá, the state of Brazil whose revenues from exports to the Arab world increased the most in the first four months was Rio Grande do Sul, at a rate of 123%, to reach US$ 659 million. The state of Paraná ranked third, as its sales went from US$ 256.3 million to US$ 501.4 million, an increase of 95.6%. Sales from Piauí have increased, but the basis of comparison was zero, because the state did not sell to Arab countries from January to April 2010. In the same period of this year, export revenues reached US$ 108,700.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
