According to ABICAB, between 2000 and 2010, the country’s confectionery, chocolate and peanut exports jumped from US$152m to $304m.
This growth was accompanied by significant investment and launches that combined new, traditional and Brazilian flavours. $400m was invested in modernising the national confectionery industry between 2009 and 2011, with new industrial plants and production lines opened, and improvements made to industrial processes and sustainability programmes.
Over the last 10 years, the number of countries buying Brazilian confectionery products has gone from 112 to 145.
Sales abroad have doubled in terms of value, with a corresponding 30% increase in volume, going from 105,000 tonnes to 133,000 tonnes over the last 10 years.
From January to October 2011, sales of confectionery abroad reached $280m, a growth of 12% compared to the same period in 2010.
Brazil’s exports for the period increased more for regions with greater economic growth, such as South America (28.8%), but it still increased for regions that performed poorly, such as Western Europe (5.7%) and North America (4.1%).
“The industry has been expanding strongly in the South American market, which has maintained economic growth and is one of the strategic focal points of our industry,” says Rafael do Prado Ribeiro, export manager at ABICAB.
Due to this new reality, Argentina became the largest international buyer of Brazil’s confectionery, importing $47.2m for the period January to October. The US came second, with purchases totalling $29.7m for the same period.
Despite the tariff and non-tariff barriers imposed by the European Union, including high import tax rates on products containing sugar, and the region’s economic difficulties, Brazil’s 2011 confectionery exports to Western Europe had reached $8.6m by October.
Among the main importers from the region are Belgium, with $2.78m and Germany with $1.4m.
Source: ABICAB
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