The Handbook shows that international trade of commodities reached nearly US$ 12 trillion last year, an increase of 14.8% over 2005. Exports of services, on the other hand, generated a turnover of more than US$ 2.7 trillion, representing an increase of almost 10%.
Foreign sales of goods from developing countries yielded US$ 4.4 trillion, 17.5% more than in 2005. The growth was higher than that of exports from developed nations, which stood at US$ 7 trillion, a 12.6% increase.
Exports from North Africa – which, in the Unctad Handbook, includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia – reached US$ 125 billion, an increase of 11.6%. Algeria is the main exporter in the region, followed by Libya, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Sales from West Asia – which includes Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen – stood at US$ 520 billion, a 12.6% increase over 2005. Saudi Arabia is the region's main exporter, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kuwait and Iraq.
Exports of goods from South America totaled US$ 350.5 billion, 22% more than in 2005. Brazil, the region's main exporter, sold US$ 137.5 billion, an increase of 16.2%. Venezuela is the second largest South American exporter, followed by Chile, Argentina and Colombia.
With regard to services, exports from developing countries totaled almost US$ 670 billion, an increase of 13% as against 2005. Exports from developed nations stood at nearly US$ 2 trillion in 2006, an increase of 8% over the previous year.
In North Africa, exports totaled US$ 32 billion, 10% more than in 2005. In East Asia, service exports totaled US$ 46.6 billion, an increase of 3%.
In South America, exports totaled US$ 45.4 billion, 14.8% more than in 2005. Brazil exported nearly US$ 20 billion in services in 2006, an increase of 24.2% over the year before. Brazil is the region's main exporter in this field as well.
Fruit Export
The volume of Brazilian fruit exports has increased by 14% in the first half of this year, in comparison with the same period last year. From January until June 2007, 372,000 tons were exported, compared with 326,000 in 2006. In terms of value, exports rose from US$ 156 million to US$ 203 million, an increase of 30%.
Apples were the main fruit responsible for the growth. Foreign sales of apples grew by 100%, rising from 53,000 tons in 2006 to 106,000 tons in 2007. Exports of fruits such as lemons, pineapples, and figs also increased in the first six months of this year. Bananas, mangoes, and papayas recorded a slight decrease. The figures were disclosed by the Brazilian Fruit Institute (Ibraf).
Anba