São Paulo – Exports from Brazil to the Arab countries came out to USD 1.01 billion in January, up 8.11% from January 2017, as per data from Brazilian Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services compiled by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
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“This is a great result for a January, which is winter in the Northern Hemisphere,” Arab Chamber CEO Michel Alaby said. According to him, this time of the year, Arab countries which import goods from Brazil usually have high stockpile levels.
In fact, the two biggest-selling goods from Brazil to Arab countries – sugar and poultry had weak sales last month. Sugar sales dropped 25.3% year-on-year to USD 248 million. Poultry exports slid 11.7% to USD 196.6 million.
But sales of other goods made up for the drop in sales of those two items. Exports were up 16% to USD 135.7 million for iron ore and 110.6% to USD 92.7 million for maize.
“The hike in ore exports is good news,” Alaby said. According to him, this means industrial output in Arab countries is going up. Sales also went up for defense material, beef, calcinated alumina, iron and steel pipes, and gold.
The biggest Arab buyers of goods from Brazil in January were Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Oman. Sales increased year-on-year to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, Lebanon and other Arab countries.
Alaby remarked that food exports to Arab nations could pick up soon as new a inventory-building cycle begins. By the end of this year, he estimates that sales to the region will have increased by 10% to 15%.
Imports bb
Conversely, Brazil’s imports from Arab countries amounted to USD 611.6 million in January, down 7.15% year-on-year. The result was mostly driven by fertilizers, whose imports slid 53.5% to USD 83.4 million.
Brazil imports mostly oil, oil products and fertilizers from Arab countries. Oil and oil products imports came out to USD 458.5 million, up 10.5%. Plastic imports climbed 105% to USD 21 million.
The biggest Arab suppliers of goods to Brazil were Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar. Sales by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait went up year-on-year in January.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
