Isaura Daniel*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Brazil has significantly expanded pepper exports to the countries in the League of Arab States in the first three months of this year. The country rose from revenues of US$ 737,100 in sales to the Arabs between January and March last year to US$ 4.3 million in the same months this year. The increase was 490%. In terms of volume exports grew a little less: 305%, to 1,300 tonnes.
Mainly responsible for the increase in exports was the state of Pará, in northern Brazil. Of total revenues, US$ 3.4 million, or 80%, corresponded to sales from Pará. In terms of volume, 82% was shipped from the state. The state, according to the executive manager of industrial cultures of the Secretariat of Agriculture of the state of Pará, Aline Matos, is the main pepper exporter in Brazil.
According to Aline, both small and large producers operate in Pará. Production, according to her, is on the rise, as many farmers grow pepper in crop rotation, and due to an incentive program by the government of the state. Exporters in the state, according to Aline, are cooperatives and large producers.
The pepper that Brazil and Pará export to the Arab countries is dry. Apart from Pará, another Brazilian state that exported pepper to the Arab world was Espírito Santo, in the southeast of the country. The volume shipped, however, was much smaller: 239 tonnes, which generated US$ 866,000. Despite the small volume, growth in export volume reached 120% in comparison with the period from January to March, 2007, when sales totalled 180 tonnes, with revenues of US$ 239,000.
Seven Arab countries bought dried pepper from Brazil in the first three months of this year. The main buyer was Egypt, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The Egyptians answered to practically half of the imports: US$ 2.3 million. The Emirates spent US$ 605,000 in Brazilian pepper, Algeria, US$ 343,000, Morocco, US$ 338,800, Syria, US$ 291,000, the Saudis, US$ 271,000 and the Jordanians, US$ 149,500. Some of them, like Egypt and Algeria, are also producers of pepper.
The growth of pepper exports from Brazil to the Arabs accompanied the growth of total sector foreign sales, but at slightly larger proportions. Brazil had revenues of US$ 36.7 million with pepper exports in the first quarter, 23% more than the US$ 29.8 million of the same period in 2007. The values, however, do not include just dry pepper, but also fresh and chilled peppers and bell peppers, and powdered ground pepper. The main buyers were the United States and Spain.
*Translated by Mark Ament
