São Paulo – Brazilian exports to the Arab world through the Airport of Congonhas, in the city of São Paulo, have increased significantly in the first months of the year. Sales have gone from US$ 23.4 million from January until May 2009 to US$ 109.6 million in the same period this year, according to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. The rate of growth was 468%.
The main contributing factor to the increase was gold shipments. Out of US$ 109.6 million worth of products shipped to the Arab League countries via the Congonhas Airport, US$ 106.4 million concerned gold barns and yarn. The figure was equivalent to three tonnes. "Gold is a high-value product. It is worth shipping by air," says the secretary-general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce , Michel Alaby.
Aside from gold, other items shipped from the airport included portable cellular telephony terminals, chicken eggs for incubation, shoes, medication, precious stone items, devices for electronic circuitry, auto parts, among others. None of these products, however, was exported in values higher than US$ 11 million. Sales of portable telephony terminals via the Congonhas Airport reached US$ 10.3 million and were the highest after gold. Eggs for incubation shipments totalled US$ 2.9 million.
In the Arab world, the leading receiver of goods shipped through air was the United Arab Emirates, which recorded the greatest volume, followed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Lebanon. The Emirates was the leading buyer country in terms of value, with US$ 122 million. "The Emirates are a jewellery manufacturing centre. The goods (exported from Brazil) are the raw material," explains Alaby. Despite being shipped from São Paulo, the products that left from Congonhas came from several regions of Brazil, mostly the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, São Paulo itself, and Goiás.
The Congonhas Airport is one of the most important ones in the state of São Paulo. In 2009, according to data supplied by the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero), 193,308 aircraft operated at the airport. The airport shipped 29,300 tonnes of cargo and passenger throughput was 13.6 million.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
