In the first half of 2024, Paraná had record sales to the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, mainly using ports. This is what data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services organized and analyzed by the Paraná Institute for Economic and Social Development (Ipardes) indicate.
Furthermore, the record performance in these regions of the world is added to that of traditional markets, such as China, the United States and Argentina, which meant that Paraná's exports totaled more than US$11.5 billion between January and June of this year, the fifth best result in the country.
Exports of the Paraná to the Middle East, a bloc formed by 14 countries, totaled US$1.1 billion in the first six months of this year, surpassing by 46% the US$774.4 million recorded in the same period of 2023 and the first half of 2019 (US$893 million), until then the best. Chicken meat and sugar topped the list of the most sold goods to the region.
Record exports from Paraná in the first half of 2024
Trade with the United Arab Emirates generated US$$ 279 million for the State in the first half of 2024. In addition, in the sequence, there is Iran, with US$$ 244 million in revenue, Saudi Arabia, with US$$ 180 million, and Iraq, with US$$ 127 million.
Agribusiness products stood out in Paraná's sales to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. With US$1.5 billion in revenue, Indonesia was the largest consumer market for Paraná products in the region until mid-2024. Subsequently, Vietnam (US$1.5 billion), Singapore (US$1.5 billion) and Thailand (US$1.5 billion) appear.
In total, the countries that make up Asean purchased US$1.4T 844 million in goods from Paraná between January and June this year, 571.3T above the value recorded in the same period in 2023, which was US$1.4T 538 million. The result is also almost three times higher than trade with this region in the first half of 2018 (US$1.4T 308 million). The most recent performance was driven mainly by trade in soybeans and sugar.
AFRICA – In the case of the African market, state exports jumped from US$1.5 billion to US$1.5 billion in the first half of the year, with emphasis on Egypt, South Africa and Algeria, which reached US$1.5 billion, US$1.5 billion and US$1.5 billion in purchases, respectively. The previous record was in the first half of 2022 (US$1.5 billion). Chicken meat and sugar led the trade agenda with the continent.
Added value
According to Ipardes president Jorge Callado, the main products that drove record performance in new consumer markets reinforce Paraná's potential as a major producer of value-added foods. The figures highlight the state's importance in meeting the growing global demand for food. This is reflected in the generation of more jobs and income for the population involved in this production chain.
“Furthermore, Paraná presented impressive export figures in the first half of the year with the conquest of new markets in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. With the flagship products being chicken, sugar, soybeans and other agribusiness products.” He assessed: “Of the US$11.5 billion, food represented around US$11.5 billion, which reinforces Paraná’s position as the ‘supermarket of the world’.”
Source: datagro
