São Paulo – The political crisis that reached the Arab countries has not been enough to affect trade between the nations and Brazil. On the contrary. Brazilian exports to the 22 Arab countries grew in the first two months of the year. According to a study by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, exports to the country reached US$ 2.02 billion in January and February, growth of 46.97% over the same period in 2010. The Brazilian trade surplus in the period reached US$ 888.47 million.
The growth in exports to the Arab market in the quarter was higher than the growth in Brazilian exports to the world, which reached 36%. According to the foreign trade director at the Foreign Trade Association of Brazil (Abracex), Antonio Carlos Ramalho, the growth in exports from Brazil to its Arab partners was motivated by the price of commodities, which rose. The main products the country sells to the Arab nations are meats, sugar, grain and ores, all priced on the international market.
According to Ramalho, this was the reason why the political crisis in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, among others, did not affect trade relations between the countries. "With or without the crisis, people need to eat. And the majority of what we sell to the Arab countries is food. For this reason, trade transactions were not affected. On the contrary, they rose and should end the year with growth," he said.
Ramalho forecasts greater growth in exports to the Arab countries in this and in coming periods not only due to commodity prices, but also due to the search for diversification of business. The country may soon be a great supplier of machinery, aircraft and garments to Arab partners.
Among the countries that bought most Brazilian products are the nations in the Gulf. They imported US$ 997.46 million in the first quarter of 2011, growth of 30.61% in comparison with the performance in the previous year. Among them, the main buyer of Brazilian products is Saudi Arabia, which imported US$ 454.67 million in the period.
Exports by the Arab countries to Brazil also grew in the period. Saudi Arabia, the main supplier (an exporter mainly of oil) totalled sales of US$ 402.91 million to Brazil. The growth as against the same period in 2010 was 136%.
The value of Brazilian exports did not grow just regarding trade with the nations of the Gulf. There was also growth in sales to the Arab countries in North Africa. Sales to the region reached US$ 821.97 million, growth of 87.55% over the first two months in 2010. The countries of the Levant (Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) imported US$ 198.11 million in Brazilian products, growth of 15.98% over the first two months last year.
Record
The Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade announced this week the February export record. In the month, the country exported US$ 16.733 billion, 23.5% more than in the same month last year. Imports in February this year also reached a record volume, of US$ 15.534 billion. The trade surplus in the period was US$ 1.199 billion.
Exports from Brazil to the Arab countries also grew in February this year as against the same month last year. In total, the growth was 35.21% to the Arab countries and 38.24% to Saudi Arabia, the main trade partner in the region in that month. In total exports, Saudi Arabia answered to 23.82%.
*Translated by Mark Ament
