São Paulo – Brazilian cooperatives’ exports to Arab countries were down 19.6% January-on-January, according to figures released this Wednesday (12th) by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. Exports to Arab countries fetched US$ 74.2 million in January this year, as against US$ 92.4 million in January 2013. The two leading Arab importers, Emirates and Saudi Arabia, imported less.
The decline in revenues from cooperatives’ exports to Arab countries was similar to that of cooperatives’ exports as a whole, which were down 17.48%. Revenues stood at US$ 381 million in January this year and US$ 461.7 million in January 2013. Overall revenues were down by US$ 80.7 million. Revenues from exports to Arab countries were down US$ 18.18 million.
The leading target for Brazilian cooperatives in January was the United States, followed by Germany. The UAE ranked third, Saudi Arabia ranked fourth and China placed fifth. In the Arab world alone, 16 countries imported products from Brazilian cooperatives in January. After the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the leading importing countries were Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Lebanon, Mauritania, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The UAE imported US$ 27.7 million worth of Brazilian cooperatives’ products in January, down 43.66% from January 2013. Saudi Arabia imported US$ 23.3 million, down 13.28%. Yemen imported the equivalent of US$ 8.2 million, up 89%. Algerian imports remained virtually level at US$ 4.3 million, and Egypt’s imports more than doubled to US$ 4.1 million.
The main product shipped from Brazilian cooperatives to the world in January was raw sugar, followed by poultry, refined sugar, soy bran and ethanol. Raw sugar grossed US$ 72.1 million, 18.9% of total revenues; poultry grossed US$ 70.9 million, 18.6%; refined sugar export revenues stood at US$ 57.3 million, at 15%; soy bran fetched US$ 41.2 million, or 10.8% of total revenues; ethanol, at US$ 38.4 million, 10.1% of cooperatives’ total exports revenues.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
