São Paulo – Brazilian shoe exports to Saudi Arabia rose 10.6% in value in the first half of this year, according to information disclosed by the Brazilian Association of Shoe Manufacturers (Abicalçados) on Thursday (12). Sales to the country also rose in volume, 12.5%. Export revenues were US$ 11 million from January to June and shipments reached 956,000 pairs.
As a destination for Brazilian shoes, Saudi Arabia remained in the same position it occupied in the first six months of last year, 15th place. As Brazilian exports have dropped, however, the country’s participation as an importer rose. From January to June last year, the Saudis bought 1.5% of all Brazil shipped abroad, in revenues and volume, a percentage that rose to 2.1% in values this year, and to 1.7% in terms of number of pairs shipped.
What dropped in shoe sales to Saudi Arabia was the value of the products. Prices dropped 1.6% over the first half of last year, according to Abicalçados. The average price of each pair shipped to the Saudi market from January to June 2011 was US$ 11.75, whereas this year the average price was US$ 11.56. The price is low if compared to the average price of shoes shipped by Brazil to Chile (US$ 30.09), but high when compared to those sold to Paraguay (US$ 3.97).
In the ranking of international buyers of shoes are the United States in first place, followed by Argentina, France, Paraguay, the United Kingdom, Australia, Bolivia, Colombia, Russia, Angola, Chile, Italy, Germany, Peru and then Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are the only Arabs among the 20 countries that most import the Brazilian product.
In general, Brazilian exports of shoes dropped 20% in the first half of this year and reached US$ 531.4 million. In the same months in 2011, they had totalled US$ 662.4 million. In pairs, the drop was smaller, 2.8%, to 55.4 million. The average price per pair exported dropped 17.5%, to US$ 9.62. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is the main exporter, followed by Ceará, Paraíba, São Paulo and Bahia.
*Translated by Mark Ament
