The presence of fans in the Gulf countries due to the World Cup in Qatar boosted meat sales in the region, according to data released by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The report shows that Brazilian chicken exports to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman grew 37.14% between January and October 2022, to USD 2.059 billion. In the same period, beef sales advanced 30.87%, totaling USD 459.53 million.
The biggest growth in shipments occurred to Qatar, host country of the World Cup, with a rise of 66.71% in chicken exports, to USD 177.98 million. The increase occurred mainly in the months leading up to the event (July to September). In this period, the monthly average of Brazilian exports of the product to Qatar was 11.58 thousand tons, against 7.99 thousand tons between January and June.
Brazilian beef exports to Qatar rose 91.27% in the first ten months of the year, to USD 31.45 million. Again, shipments were higher between July and September – the monthly average was 528.90 tons, compared to 478.22 tons sold in the first six months of the year.
The secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Tamer Mansour, stated that the World Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, the Formula 1 competitions in the region and the resumption of pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Saudi Arabia played an important role in sales of Brazilian proteins. According to him, these events have been attracting a significant volume of tourists to all GCC countries, boosting the hotel chain and food sales.