São Paulo – Exports from Brazil to the Middle East grew by 33.6% in May compared with the same month of last year. Brazilian foreign sales to Africa, another region that includes Arab countries, also grew during the region, though at a lower rate: 9%. Revenues from shipments to the Middle East reached US$ 1.02 billion in May as against US$ 767 million in the same month of 2010. Exports to Africa reached US$ 809 million last month and US$ 740 million in May of last year, according to figures supplied by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
General exports hit a record in May. Revenues from foreign sales reached US$ 23.2 billion, an increase of 31% over the same month of 2010, when revenues reached US$ 17.7 billion. Exports of basic goods reached US$ 12.1 billion, semi-manufactured goods exports reached US$ 2.9 billion, and manufactured goods reached US$ 7.6 billion.
In the segment of manufactured goods, the export highlights were sales of aluminium oxides and hydroxides, ground levelling machinery and equipment, cargo vehicles, engines and parts for vehicles, plastic and pneumatic polymers, among others. Among semi-manufactured goods, products whose sales increased the most were iron and steel products, raw soy oil, leathers and hides and molten iron. As for basic goods, the good performance was mostly driven by iron ore, wheat, coffee, oil, chaff, poultry, soybean and pork.
From January to May, there was also an increase in exports, from US$ 72 billion in the first five months of last year to US$ 94.6 billion in the same period of this year, an increase of 31.2%. Sales of basic goods reached US$ 45 billion, sales of semi-manufactured goods reached US$ 12.8 billion, and sales of manufactured goods reached US$ 43.39 billion.
The main target countries were, in this order, China, the United States, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany. Shipments to the Middle East have also increased, by 28%, to reach US$ 4.2 billion, and sales to Africa, from 39% to US$ 3.05 billion.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
