São Paulo – Sales from Brazil to the Middle East grew 23.3% in February over the same month in 2012, according to figures disclosed by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade last week. The country had revenues of US$ 819 million with exports to the region last month, as against US$ 664 million in the same period last year. In the accumulated result for the first two months of the year, there was also growth, from US$ 1.4 billion in 2012 to US$ 1.7 billion in 2013.
Figures disclosed by the ministry show that sales of meats, sugar, grain, soy chaff, coffee, tobacco, wrought iron works and live animals were mostly responsible for the growth in February. The ministry takes into consideration the daily average of shipments, which grew 30.2% in the month. Similar products boosted exports accumulated during the year: meats, sugar, iron ore, maize in grain, soy chaff, wrought iron works, tobacco, live animals, ethanol and coffee. The daily average, in this case, rose 27.6%.
To Africa, however, a region in which other Arab countries may be found; there was reduction in exports from Brazil. They dropped 9.4%, from US$ 878 million to US$ 795 million. The reduction, in February, was attributed mainly to sales of sugar, meats, ethanol, vehicles and parts, machinery and equipment, tobacco, furniture, cardboard and live animals.
In the accumulated result for the first months of the year, the reduction was smaller, 3.1%, from US$ 1.84 billion to US$ 1.78 billion. In the case of Africa too, a similar list of products was responsible for the drop: meats, machinery and equipment, furniture, vehicles and their parts, soy oil in bulk, tobacco, ethanol, soy chaff and live animals.
As a whole, Brazilian exports dropped 13% in February as against the same month in 2012, and reached US$ 15.5 billion. In the accumulated result for the year, as against the same period last year, foreign sales generated revenues of US$ 31.5 billion. The retraction was 7.7%.
*Translated by Mark Ament
