Rise in Brazilian coffee exports to the Arab region

In a report by the Brazilian Coffee Exporter Council Coffee, exports from Brazil to the Arab region rose by 29.7% to $112mn during the first seven months of the year, compared to the same period in 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% increase in export volume to Arab countries.

The report announced that Lebanon remained the top buyer of Brazilian coffee in the Arab world, with a recorded $29.9mn spent on coffee imports during the same period. It was followed by Jordan at $14.6mn, Saudi Arabia at $12.9mn, and the UAE at $10.2 mn. 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%, at $2.9bn, with the US as the top importer accounting for a 20% share in total coffee exports from Brazil. Germany followed with a 17.5% share, Italy with 9%, Japan with 7.1% and Belgium with 6%. In July alone, Brazil exported 1.7 million bags of coffee, grossing $283.4mn.

Dr Michel Alaby, secretary general and CEO of Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), said: “The large amount of coffee being exported to the Middle East and North Africa (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.”

He added: “As demand for Brazilian coffee grows, we expect to witness larger demand for this product in the Arab market over the next few years.”