São Paulo – Olive oil imports by Brazil declined 20% from January to July of this year over the same period of last year, according to data made available this Thursday (27) by the Brazilian Association of Producers, Importers and Traders of Olive Oil (Oliva). The Brazilian market purchased 27,000 tons of olive oil abroad in the first seven months of this year against 34,500 tons in the same period of last year.
According to Oliva, the fall reveals the unstable moment that Brazil is facing and that has affected the purchasing power of Brazilians and modified some consumer habits. “Even in the current scenario, Brazilians have not stopped using the product, however they reduced the number of items bought”, said Oliva’s president, Rita Bassi, in a statement.
Despite the downward trend, Arab countries increased their olive oil exports to Brazil from January to July. They shipped to the Brazilian market 233,700 tons, which means an 82% increase over the seven first months of last year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC).
Brazil’s olive oil imports from the Arab world were worth USD 959,000 year-to-date ending in July, more than double the USD 431,000 spent in the same period of last year. Almost all of the olive oil imported came from Tunisia, the Arab country from North Africa, but Lebanon also sold to Brazil.
According to Oliva, countries such as Russia and Japan also had a decline in imports, while other, such as Australia, China and the United States are buying more. Oliva works with consumer awareness and the development of the sector in Brazil and is a member of the International Olive Council (IOC).
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
