S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The objective is to export 44% more in 2010, to obtain US$ 77 million in revenues from foreign sales. Last year, Cocamar Cooperativa Industrial, based in the southern Brazilian state of Paran\u00e1, exported the equivalent of US$ 54 million, totalling 126,700 tonnes of products shipped to destinations such as Europe, Asia and North America. From now on, growth should be driven by sales of higher value-added products, and by conquering new, promising markets such as the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Along these lines, items such as tropical fruit juice and soy-based drinks are gaining strength. Presently, the segment already ranks third in the cooperative\u2019s list of most exported items, after soy chaff, and concentrated and frozen orange juice.<\/p>\n
\u201cCocamar\u2019s beverage sector should grow by 20% in terms of production and 66% in terms of exports this year,\u201d says the cooperative\u2019s trade manager for Retail Products, Marco Roberto Alarcon. According to him, the Middle East is among the most important markets to be developed in 2010. \u201cPresently, we sell to four Arab countries, and we intend to increase that figure,\u201d he claims.<\/p>\n
The Paran\u00e1-based cooperative\u2019s first sales deals to the Arabs were closed during the last edition of Gulfood, a food industry trade fair held in Dubai, in February. The items sold were fruit juice and soy-based drinks. \u201cOur juice has pleased the taste of Arab consumers,\u201d guarantees Alarcon.<\/p>\n
The executive claims to have closed deals with a few buyers shortly after they tasted the products, before the Gulfood fair ended. The most successful flavours are varieties such as a guarana and assai mix. \u201cTropical flavours have a strong appeal abroad,\u201d explains Alarcon, adding that Cocamar\u2019s beverages currently reach 15 different countries.<\/p>\n
Another line that the cooperative will focus on in 2010 is essential oils, which are highly sought-after raw materials outside Brazil. Such is the case, for instance, with oil extracted from fruit peel, used by the perfumery industry and in great demand in countries such as France, for instance.<\/p>\n
Cocamar expects to produce 600 tonnes of essential oil this year, which it will sell for US$ 2,000 per tonne. To give an idea, it takes eight boxes of fruit to obtain just one kilogram of oil, which justifies the product\u2019s high price.<\/p>\n
Cocamar posted 1.3 billion Brazilian real (US$ 740 million) in revenues in 2009 and is expecting to reach the 1.4 billion real (US$ 797 million) mark this year. The cooperative\u2019s headquarters, which rank among the five largest in Brazilian agriculture, is located in the city of Maring\u00e1, 410 kilometres away from the capital of Paran\u00e1, Curitiba. In total, Cocamar has 6,100 affiliated farmers who receive, sell, and process agricultural products such as soy, maize, coffee, wheat, and orange.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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