Brazilian coffee exports to MENA region witnesses 30 per cent increase during first seven months of the year

UAE, August 29, 2017 - A rise in coffee exports from Brazil to the Arab region led to sales of USD 122 million, as shipping volume increased during the first half of 2017. According to the Brazilian Coffee Exporter Council (Cecafé), revenue gained from coffee exports from Brazil to the Arab region witnessed a 29.7 per cent increase at USD 112 million during the first seven months of the year, in comparison to 2016. A total of 653,200 bags of coffee were exported to Arab counties between January and July 2017, while 645,100 were exported during the same period last year, indicating a 1.2 per cent increase in export volume to Arab countries.

Lebanon remained the top buyer of Brazilian coffee in the Arab world with a recorded USD 29.9 million spent on coffee imports during the same period. It was followed by Jordan at USD 14.6 million, Saudi Arabia at USD 12.9 million, and the United Arab Emirates at USD 10.2 million.  Other major importers of Brazilian coffee in the region include Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Kuwait and Morocco.

As coffee exports from Brazil to the Arab region continue to rise, the overall revenue recorded from international coffee exports saw an increase of 7.2 per cent, at USD 2.9 billion, with the United States as the top importer accounting for a 20 per cent share in total coffee exports from Brazil. Germany followed with a 17.5 per cent share, Italy with 9 per cent, Japan with 7.1 per cent and Belgium with 6 per cent. In July alone, Brazil exported 1.7 million bags of coffee, grossing USD 283.4 million.

Dr. Michel Alaby, Secretary General and CEO of ABCC, said: “The large amount of coffee being exported to the MENA region from Brazil during the first seven months of the year indicates a growing market for Brazilian coffee in this part of the world. As demand for Brazilian coffee grows, we expect to witness larger demand for this product in the Arab market over the next few years.”