Agribusiness exports from Brazil to the Arabs grew 28% in November

Brazil sold the equivalent to US$ 287 million in agricultural products to the region in the month. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria were the main markets. In the accumulated result for the year, the shipment generated US$ 3.1 billion, growth of 24% in comparison to the same period in 2004.

São Paulo – Brazilian agribusiness exports to the Arab countries generated US$ 287.3 million in November, an increase of 28.2% in comparison to the same month in 2004. As has been occurring throughout the year, the growth of shipment to the region was greater than the growth of sector foreign sales as a whole. In November, Brazil exported the equivalent to US$ 3.7 billion in agribusiness products, or 24.8% more than in the same period last year. These figures were supplied by the ministry of Agriculture.

The Arab countries that purchased the largest volume from Brazil in November were, in this order, the United Arab Emirates, with imports of US$ 54.3 million, 38.8% more than in the same month in 2004, Saudi Arabia (US$ 51.2 million, with growth of 6%), Morocco (US$ 29.8 million, a reduction of 0.81%), Egypt (US$ 29.6 million, 37.3% more), Algeria (US$ 18.5 million, a reduction of 14.4%).

To the United Arab Emirates, the main products shipped were sugar (US$ 32 million), meats, leather products, tobacco and wood. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the main products, by far, were meats whose purchases totalled US$ 47.5 million; to Morocco, the products most sold were soy and soy oil (US$ 15 million) and sugar (US$ 13.2 million). Egypt imported mostly meats, products in the soy complex, sugar and paper, and Algeria purchased sugar (US$ 16.5 million).

The markets that grew most as destinations in the region, however, were Iraq, which purchased the equivalent to US$ 684,700, against US$ 42,200 in November 2004, Mauritania, to where shipments generated US$ 5.6 million, against US$ 383,400 in the same month last year, Jordan, whose imports totalled over US$ 11 million, growth of 355%, Sudan, which purchased the equivalent to US$ 12.2 million, or 297% more than in the same month in 2004, and Qatar, to where exports rose 281% and reached US$ 5.6 million.

Accumulated

In the accumulated result for the year, Brazilian agribusiness exports to the Arab countries reached US$ 3.163 billion, an increase of 24.6% in comparison to the period from January to November 2004, when sector shipments totalled US$ 2.537 billion. Total agribusiness exports added up to US$ 39.9 billion, an increase of 10.8% in comparison to the same period last year.

The main markets in the period were, in this order, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Emirates, Algeria and Morocco. The countries that presented greatest growth, however, were Sudan, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen and Lebanon.

*Translated by Mark Ament