UAE, September 30, 2013: The export of beans from Brazil to the Arab countries has surpassed USD 5.52 million for the period from January to July this year, increasing by over 276 per cent compared to USD 1.47 million for the same period in 2012, according to figures from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Egypt accounted for the biggest share of the bean exports, receiving USD 4.5 million worth of beans from Brazil, followed by Algeria, UAE and Lebanon at USD 930,000, USD 80,000 and USD 10,000 respectively.
For the period of January to July 2013, the total revenues for international sales of beans from Brazil accounted to USD 10.9 million. The export figures for the beans to the Arab nations marks a significant increase for this year, as there was a 23 per cent decline in sales in 2012 when compared to the previous years. In 2012, Egypt was the sole importer of the product among the Arab nations.
Dr. Michel Alaby, Secretary General and CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said, “The significant increase in the export of Brazilian beans to the Arab nations clearly demonstrates the strategic importance of the Gulf region as a key food trade partner of Brazil. Even though Brazil does not export a considerable volume of beans compared to other food grains due to the high domestic consumption of beans, recent figures point out to the scope of further growth in export volumes in the near future.”
Originally from Africa, the beans of the caupi kind were introduced to Brazil during the colonial period and are cultivated mostly in the Savannah region of Brazil. The Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) has put in a lot of investment to develop research programs to produce a genetically improved quality of the beans for optimum yield to cater to the increasing demand of beans in the international market.