São Paulo – Exports of Brazilian cooperatives to the Arab countries grew 165% in quantity and 150% in value in 2009, reaching US$ 530 million. To the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), the region is currently the third most important market, losing only to Africa and Asia.
The highlight was Syria, responsible for the largest expansion in the group: 1,099%, with US$ 33 million turnover. What did the Syrians buy? Sugar and meats. In brown sugar alone, purchases totalled US$ 23 million, with over US$ 8 million for the refined product and US$ 2 million in chicken.
"We have been benefited due to the low production of sugarcane in India, which exported much to Syria,” explained the OCB market specialist, Marco Olívio Morato de Oliveira.
In the general ranking of main buyers of Brazilian cooperatives in the Arab world are the United Arab Emirates, with US$ 253 million in purchases, Saudi Arabia, with US$ 154 million, Syria, US$ 33 million, and Qatar, US$ 3 million. According to the OCB, the countries that make up this market answer to 15% of the total exported in terms of money and 22% in terms of volume.
According to Oliveira, the target for 2010 is to strengthen trade ties with this group. The challenge of cooperatives, in this case, is to add value to products currently exported. “It is time to sell more refined sugar instead of brown sugar, for example,” he said.
To reach the target, the idea is to consolidate relations with these countries through missions and participation in fairs this year, with at least two events forecasted to take place in the Middle East. "The region is very important for Brazilian cooperatives as that is where the population and GDP growth is greater than the global average,” said Oliveira. “That is not to mention our affinity with the Arab world,” he finished off.
*Translated by Mark Ament
