São Paulo – Brazilian exports to the Arab countries grew 0.7% in April this year as against the same period in 2011, with US$ 978 million. Although there has been growth over April last year, sales to the region dropped in comparison with March this year, when Brazil shipped US$ 1.211 billion to the Middle East and North Africa. In the accumulated figures for the year, sales totalled US$ 4.251 billion, growth of 2.6% over the first four months of 2011.
In April, the main item exported was chicken not in parts and frozen, which totalled US$ 169.3 million, representing growth of 7.8% over April 2011. Agglomerated iron ore and its concentrates came in second place in exports, growth of 2.6% over April 2011, followed by other sugarcane sugar (which was not imported in the same month in 2011) and non-agglomerated iron ore and its concentrates, whose increase was 126.4% over April in the previous year.
To the CEO at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, the greater sale of chicken is the result of product prices, which dropped as against the price practiced in 2011, and to the greater sales prior to Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims. "Chicken purchases are a reflex of the price of meats. Buyers replace the product purchased according to its price. Furthermore, countries increase food purchases two or three months prior to Ramadan, to take place in July this year,” said Alaby.
In the accumulated result for the first four months of the year, sugarcane sugars were the main product exported by Brazil to the region. The product generated revenues of US$ 654.9 million. In the same period in 2011, Brazil had not exported the item to the Arabs.
Rooster and chicken meat, not in pieces and frozen, were in second place in the list of exports, and totalled US$ 613.9 million. Sales in this category dropped 5.7% from January to April 2012 in comparison with the same period in 2011. Sales of the third most exported product, non-agglomerated iron ore and its concentrates, dropped 6.2% in the same period.
Saudi Arabia was the main importer of Brazilian products in April. The country purchased US$ 252.2 million. However, Saudi purchases dropped 17.5% over April 2011, when purchases totalled US$ 306 million in Brazil. After Saudi Arabia, the main Arab buyers of Brazilian products in April were the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. These were also the three main importers of Brazilian products in the Middle East and North Africa in the accumulated result for 2012.
Sales to Libya, which totalled US$ 57.9 million from January to April 2011, grew 129.7% and reached US$ 133.2 million in the first four months of 2012. On the other hand, sales to Syria dropped 79.5%: from US$ 113.2 million between January and April 2011 to US$ 23.2 million in the first four months of this year. Libya was the stage of protests that ousted dictator Muamar Khadafi in 2011 and Syria is living protests against dictator Bashar al Assad.
Imports
Oil in bulk was the main product imported by Brazil from the Arab countries in April. Imports of the product totalled US$ 616.5 million in the period, growth of 25.5% over April 2011. As a whole, imports grew 75% in April 2012 in comparison with the same month in 2011: this year, purchases reached US$ 1.4 billion from the region. In 2011, the value was US$ 806.2 million.
*Translated by Mark Ament
