Coffee exports from Brazil to the Arab region witnessed a 29.7 per cent increase to $112 million 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 per cent increase in export volume to Arab countries, Brazilian Coffee Exporter Council (Cecafé) said.

Lebanon remained the top buyer of Brazilian coffee in the Arab world with a recorded $29.9 million spent on coffee imports during the same period, it said.

It was followed by Jordan at $14.6 million, Saudi Arabia at $12.9 million, and the UAE at $10.2 million, it added.

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 $2.9 billion, with the US 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 $283.4 million.

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.”

“As demand for Brazilian coffee grows, we expect to witness larger demand for this product in the Arab market over the next few years,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service