São Paulo – January 2020 saw 17,123 tonnes of beef shipped from Brazil to Arab countries, down 41% year-on-year. Export revenue was also down, by 27% to USD 65 million.
The Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) numbers were made public this Wednesday (5) by the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec).
Shipped volume to Egypt – the biggest Arab market for Brazilian product – was down 63% year-on-year in January to 5,355 tonnes, with revenue sliding 53.97% to USD 18 million.
Sales to the UAE also dropped, with revenue down 14.62% to USD 14.29 million and volume down 19.63% to 3,673 tonnes.
Unlike exports to Arab countries, overall exports from Brazil went up in January 2020. Shipped volume was up 9.84% to 135,375 tonnes, while revenue widened by 37.9% to USD 633.25 million. “This is a positive outcome that’s in line with our growth estimates for this year,” a press release quoted Abiec chairman Antônio Jorge Camardelli as saying.
Abiec said the result was driven by China, which remains a top-tier destination, with sales up 126% to 53,200 tonnes and revenue up 200% to USD 322.8 million.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
