São Paulo – Brazilian exports of beef totaled USD 5.9 billion last year, a slide of 18% over 2014. In all, 1.39 million tons were shipped, a decline of 11% in the same comparison. The data was released this Tuesday (12th) by the Association of Brazilian Beef Exporters (Abiec).
According to the association, sales were impacted by circumstantial problems in important markets to Brazil, such as Russia, Hong Kong and Venezuela. Even with such problems, Hong Kong was the main destination of exports in 2015, with Russia in fourth and Venezuela in fifth.
Egypt, among the Arab countries the largest beef buyer from Brazil last year, stood at the third position among the largest markets, behind only Hong Kong and European Union. According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (Mdic) compiled by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, exports to Egypt totaled USD 661.35 million in 2015, an increase of 8.2% over 2014.
Algeria, another Arab country, appears on the 10th position among the largest importers of Brazilian beef. Sales to them totaled USD 85.5 million last year. There was, however, a decline of 15% in comparison to the previous year.
With Arab countries as a group, shipments totaled USD 1.028 billion in 2015, a slight increase of 0.67% over 2014.
In a statement, Abiec says that in 2016 exports should return to the same levels of 2014, since embargoes to imports of Brazilian beef in countries such as China and Saudi Arabia were lifted.
“The expectation is that in 2016 exports will reach USD 7.5 billion, confirming Brazil as the world’s leader in the protein market”, says the president of the association, Antônio Jorge Camardelli, according to the statement released.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
