Depending on the point of view with which one looks at SECEX’s data (Brazil’s institute for Foreign commerce), the trend for the first four months of 2019 is either negative or very positive. ABIEC, the meat exporters’ association can be satisfied: sales abroad between January and April grew 3.1% in value (2.01 billion USD) and by 11.7% in volume. On the other hand, CICB, the tanning association, is of opposite spirit. The month of April had a negative for the segment: Brazilian leather export (102.2 million USD) lost 25.4% on yearly base in value and by 10.2% in volume (15.2 million sq. meters). This signal highlights the four-months negative performance of the segment. During the same time-period, finished leather exports lost 21.3% in value and 6.9% in surface quantity, while crusts lost 33.3% and 29.4% respectively. Wet blue was also in the red, having lost 26.9% in revenue and 13.3% in weight. The three main reference market for Brazil are China, Italy and USA, and if these three countries are combined the loss is of 10%.
Brazil, export performance is bittersweet in the first four months: meat sells well (+3.1%), leather is at stake
