São Paulo – Exports of wood from Brazil to the Arab nations grew 19% from January to July this year, as against the same period last year. In the first seven months of 2011, sales of the product to the region totalled US$ 28.264 million, as against US$ 23.752 million in the first seven months of 2010.
“This is due to a ‘boom’ in civil construction in these nations,” said Jeziel de Oliveira, superintendent of the Brazilian Plywood Industry and Exporters Association (Abimci). “While there is this boom in construction in the region, Brazil will continue exporting there,” said the executive.
According to Oliveira, the main buyers are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. The executive stated that, with the 2008 global financial crisis, traditional markets for Brazilian wood, like the United States and countries in Europe, reduced their imports, causing national products to seek new markets, like the Arab world.
The executive stated that sales to the Arabs have been collaborating to maintain Brazilian exports at a moment of low purchases by traditional buyers. “This is helping Brazil. There are companies that started exporting to the Arabs a short while ago. It is an important market, especially for the civil construction sector, which is the one we export to most, where we sell products like plywood, floorboards, plates and doors, etc.”
He does not, however, believe that exports to the region should continue growing up to the end of the year. “The tendency is for stability. Sales will be maintained, but I do not expect there to be great leaps,” he said.
In total, the country exported US$ 1.1 billion in wood from January to July, also including charcoal and wooden products.
*Translated by Mark Ament
