Among the greatest buyers of some of the main products in the Brazilian export basket in June were the Arabs. According to figures supplied by Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania were, for example, in the first and second places among importers of refined sugar, the 12th most sold manufactured product in the month, with total shipments of $174 million. Saudi Arabia was also the second main destination for chicken exports, losing only to Russia. The product was the fourth most traded among the basic items and total sales totaled $589.2 million. Syria, with purchases of $389.5 million, was the third main buyer of sugar in bulk, the third main item in the Brazilian basket of partly manufactured products, losing only to Russia and Iran. Some countries in the Middle East and North Africa are also among the so-called non-traditional markets in the month. Mauritania is in the third place, with imports of $15.8 million, an increase of 868 percent in comparison with July 2007. Syria figures in the seventh position in this list, with purchases of $42.5 million, growth of 259 percent. Sudan comes in the 13th position, with import of $6.6 million, 103 percent more than in July last year. Bahrain was in the 23rd place, with purchases of $30.5 million, growth of 36 percent. In total, Brazilian exports to the Middle East reached $838 million in July, an increase of 20.7 percent over the same month in 2007. To Africa, the shipments generated little more than $1 billion, growth of 30.5 percent. In general there was an expressive increase in sales of all categories of Brazilian products. Exports of manufactured products generated $8.653 billion, 17 percent more than in July last year. In this area, the highlights were fuels, vehicles and auto parts. Revenues with ethanol shipments grew 66 percent, fuel oil sales rose 61 percent, generator sales grew 46.3 percent, aircraft, 31.2 percent, tractor sales, 29.4 percent, vehicle engines, 20 percent, auto parts, 16.2 percent and cargo transport vehicles, 14.5 percent. Foreign trade of Brazil broke records in July. Exports of $20.4 billion, imports of $17.1 billion and bilateral trade of $37.6 billion were the greatest results in the country's history. __
