Eleven of the 14 Brazilian regions researched by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) presented an increase in the industrial production in February.
In the states of Amazonas, in the north of Brazil; Santa Catarina, in the south; Ceará, in the northeastern region of the country and the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, in the southeast, the production increase was above the national average of 4.4%.
The states that showed an increase below the Brazilian average were Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraná and Goiás. Three states showed a drop in the production: Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro.
The negative value presented by Rio Grande do Sul was mainly due to the collapse of the soy crop, which hindered the purchase of agriculture machinery.
Exports to Arabs
Brazilian agribusiness exports to the Arab countries generated US$ 683.9 million in the first quarter of this year, a 5.6% increase in comparison to the same period in 2004, when shipping totalled US$ 647.7 million. The value is equivalent to over 76% of total Brazilian exports to the region.
According to information supplied today by the Ministry of Agriculture, Saudi Arabia was the main destination for Brazilian agricultural products among the countries in the region, followed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco and Yemen.
In the month of March alone, there was an 11.2% reduction in exports to the Arab world, US$ 269.3 million in March 2004 to US$ 239 million in the same month this year. The main destinations were, in this order, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Yemen.
Anba