São Paulo – Brazilian cooperatives’ exports were down 2% from January to July this year from the same period of last year. In the first seven years of 2012, cooperatives exported US$ 3.194 billion. In the same period of 2011, exports amounted to US$ 3.254 billion, according to the industry survey issued this Friday (17th) by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
According to the ministry, imports were also down during the period. From January to July 2012, imports amounted to US$ 117.2 million, down 20.9% from US$ 148.9 million in the same period of last year. The industry is running a US$ 3.076 billion trade surplus, 1.1% down from US$ 3.110 billion from January to July, 2011.
China was the leading target of cooperatives’ exports, having accounted for 14.7% of total exports from Brazil – which sold to a total of 129 countries – followed by the the United States (11%), Germany (6.2%), the United Arab Emirates (5.7%), and the Netherlands (4.8%). Raw sugar was the top-selling product from January to July, at US$ 448.2 million, equivalent to 14% of total exports. Soya bean (12%), coffee bean (11.5%), poultry (10.7%) and soya bran (8.8%) were other sales highlights.
According to the ministry, the main reasons for the decline in exports from January to July were the decline in some commodities’ prices and in demand, as a result of the international crisis. The price of raw sugar was down 2.9% according to the ministry. The volume shipped for sugar was also down, and so was the average price of coffee, which was 7.6% lower than from January to July 2011.
The countries which sold the most products to Brazilian cooperatives, out of a total of 42 supplying countries, were Paraguay, which sold the equivalent of US$ 17.9 million, 15.2% of total imports. United States, China, Japan and Morocco were the four other top exporting countries. The main products imported were urea with nitrogen content lower than 45, potassium chloride, soya bean, meat processing machinery, and ammonium di-hydrogen orthophosphate.
According to the ministry, cooperatives in the state of São Paulo exported the most this year, at US$ 1.007 billion, 31.5% of total sales. Paraná-based cooperatives exported US$ 1.004 billion, 31.4% of total exports from Brazilian cooperatives from January to July. Cooperatives in the state of Paraná were the top importers during the period.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
