São Paulo – Brazilian exports to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries rebounded in June after declining in March, April and May, according to data compiled by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) and released by its press office. The GCC countries, located in the region affected by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman.
The increase in June compared with the same month in 2025 was 1.25%, bringing exports to USD 758.14 million. In the first half of the year, however, Brazilian exports to the bloc fell 4.01% from the same period last year, totaling USD 4.17 billion. According to the ABCC, June’s growth may signal the beginning of a reversal in the losses caused by the regional conflict, which since February has restricted vessels’ access to Gulf ports through the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, thus disrupting international trade.
Mohamad Orra Mourad, the ABCC’s vice president of international relations and secretary-general, said it is still too early to determine whether June’s increase will be sustained and lead to a recovery of those losses. He is, however, optimistic about Brazil’s export prospects in the coming months. Mourad noted that exports typically gain momentum in the second half of the year as importers build food inventories ahead of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, which begins in February in 2027.
“Brazil has not lost ground in its largest Arab markets. Exporters have found alternative routes to get their products to the Gulf, using Red Sea ports along with road and air transport. The costs of this logistical reshuffle are being absorbed by exporters, importers and end consumers. Demand, meanwhile, remains broadly in line with peacetime levels,” Mourad said.
Brazilian exports to the 22 Arab countries, including the Gulf states, rose 3.73% in the first half of the year to USD 9.56 billion. Shipments increased not only to Arab countries outside the Gulf but also to several markets within the region. Exports to the UAE, for example, climbed 6.01% to USD 1.72 billion, while sales to Saudi Arabia rose 11% to USD 1.51 billion. Exports to Egypt surged 31.73% to USD 1.68 billion, and shipments to Algeria increased 12.49% to USD 1.32 billion.
Brazil’s agricultural exports to the Arab countries were led by sugar, despite a 7.45% decline in the first half from the same period in 2025, to USD 1.79 billion. Chicken ranked second, with exports falling 9.99% to USD 1.57 billion, followed by corn, whose shipments surged 49.51% to USD 794.90 million.
According to Mourad, declines in some key export products were offset by gains in other categories, leaving the overall result broadly in line with historical fluctuations and reinforcing his expectation that exports could recover by the end of the year.
“Brazil remains the leading supplier of food to the Arab countries, including the Gulf states. If this trend continues, export revenues could even surpass last year’s levels,” he said.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
