Alexandre Rocha*
alexandre.rocha@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Brazil exported 947,000 bags of coffee to the Arab countries in 2007, an increase of 15.7% over the 818,000 60-kilogram bags shipped in 2006. Considering an average price of US$ 137.70 per bag, last year, revenues with sales to the region reached US$ 130.4 million, 60% more than the US$ 81.4 million of the previous year. The figures were supplied by the Brazilian Coffee Exporter Council (Cecafé), disclosed yesterday (9), and by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
The growth of sales to the Arab market was greater than general coffee exports of Brazil. According to the Cecafé, the country shipped little over 28 million bags of coffee in 2007, an increase of 2.4% over 2006. Revenues obtained totalled US$ 3.9 billion, 17% more than in the previous year. According to the general director at Cecafé, Guilherme Braga, revenues rose more than the quantity shipped as the price of coffee has been growing gradually since 2002, after a period of constant reductions. "Today, we have a good level of offer and demand and prices are returning to levels considered normal," he said.
According to Braga, Brazilian exporters have traditional participation in the Arab world and occupy a major position in the market. He added that the quantity imported by the Arabs should be even greater, as some sales are made by European companies and do not enter the statistics of exports to the region.
"It is an important market, of the greatest interest, where there is fidelity," stated the executive. To Braga, the growth of sales to the Arab world may be explained by the greater demand more than by the expansion of direct imports from Brazil, as the share imported by European intermediaries is small. "There is already a trade channel established between Brazil and the region," he added.
Syria and Lebanon were the Arab countries that, by far, bought most Brazilian coffee in 2007, respectively 352,600 bags and 301,200 bags. Then came Jordan (83,000 bags), Tunisia (66,700), the United Arab Emirates (37,000), Egypt (30,700), Algeria (30,400), Saudi Arabia (29,000), Morocco (8,000), Libya (5,700), Oman (1,300) and Kuwait (960).
Worldwide, the main buyers were Germany, the United States, Italy, Japan, Belgium, Slovenia, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden.
For 2008, the sector expects a small reduction in exports, as the harvest in the first sector should be small, with production returning to the levels considered normal in the second term. According to Braga, Brazil should export around 27 million bags this year.
*Translated by Mark Ament
