São Paulo – Brazilian coffee exports totalled US$ 581.57 million in January, which represented an increase of 50.8% over the same period last year. Shipments totalled 2.724 million 60-kilogram bags, growth of 9.3% in the same comparison. The volume traded was the highest monthly value of the last five years, according to figures disclosed on Monday (7) by the Brazilian Coffee Exporter Council (Cecafé).
According to the director general at the organisation, Guilherme Braga, the result for the year remains positive, but forecasts are for the export volume to be below that for last year, when Brazil shipped 33 million bags. "That is due to the biennial aspect of the culture," said Braga, explaining that one year there is a greater crop and in the next, a smaller one.
"In general, Brazil has presented growth in sales. That is because other countries had lower production and Brazil was able to supply the demand," said Braga, who also spoke about the greater price of coffee and the growth of the commodity on the global market. The average price of green coffee, for example, rose 4.5% in the month of January as against December.
The main buyers of Brazilian coffee were the United States, with 551,000 bags (20% of the total exported), followed by Germany, with 534,240 bags, Italy, with 274,850 bags, Belgium, with 202,400 bags, and Japan, with 150,780 bags. Europe answered to 55% of the Brazilian coffee import market, North America to 23%, Asia to 16% and South America to 3%.
The Arab countries are also buyers of Brazilian coffee. In January, the Arab market imported 119,450 bags, a reduction of 2% over the same month in 2010. According to Braga, the Arab market buys through intermediaries in Europe, so sales are not expressive. Among the Arab countries mentioned by the Cecafé director are Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, which have bought the Brazilian commodity for many years.
*Translated by Mark Ament
