Abicalçados, the Brazilian Footwear Association, estimates that between January and May 47.8 million pairs of shoes were sold abroad, generating revenue of approximately 385.4 million US dollars, 12.2% below the value of exports in similar period in 2014.

In the first five months of the year, exports fell, both in quantity and value, every month except in March (+15.1% in value and +5.8% in quantity), which is causing worries within the Brazilian Association.

Heitor Klein, Executive President of Abicalçados, said the loss of competitiveness of the Brazilian industry, motivated by internal measures, is netting off the positive impact of a high US dollar. To this poor performance in exports, adds the slowdown in the domestic market, as the country is hit by high inflation, high level of debt and a drop in consumption.

During the first 5 months of the year, the main destination for Brazilian Footwear was the United States, to where 4.4 million pairs worthing 68.7 million US dollars were sold. This represented a declined of 4.8% compared to similar period in 2014. France, receiving 4.6 million pairs (23.8 million US dollars, despite a 6.5% fall), follows. Argentina lost the third position in the ranking of the largest destinations to Bolivia (2.8 million pairs; 22 million US dollars) going up by 16.5%. Argentina is now in the fourth position with 1.3 million pairs, worth 21.36 millions and falling by 16.7%.

Exports to the Emirates are worth being highlited by their dynamic performance. Brazil exported 946.8 thousand pairs to that country, which were valued at 10.4 million US dollars, growing by 33.4% compared to similar period in 2014. This destination is seen as an alternative to falling shipments to more traditional destinations, according to Mr. Klein, who noted that the Arab country is one of the seven target markets for the Brazilian Footwear, the exports support program maintained by Abicalçados in partnership with the Brazilian Agency for Promotion of Exports and Investments (Apex-Brazil).