10% growth in Brazilian shoe exports in H1 2001
According to the Brazilian Association of Footwear Manufacturers, Abicalçados, the country's footwear exports jumped by 10% year -on-year in the first six months of 2001, from $736 million in 2000 to $810 million.
And despite the ongoing economic crisis in its second-largest export market of Argentina, the Brazilian footwear sector is said to be confident that Argentine export sales will increase by 10% in the second half of the year. Its optimism is based on the 28% increase seen in footwear exports to Argentina in the first six month of the year, amounting to 7.9 million pairs worth $66 million. In 2000 - and despite the quotas imposed by Argentina – the Argentine market still accounted for 18.9 million pairs of Brazilian footwear, worth $123 million. In 1999, 12.2 million pairs of Brazilian shoes were exported to Argentina, worth $87.9%.
Heitor Klein, Director of the programme 'Brazilian Shoes', attributes the favourable Argentine situation to the shortfall in domestic manufacturing capacity. In a market that demands 130 million pairs per year, domestic producers are capable of only manufacturing 100 million pairs.
