Brazilian footwear exports decline

​According to data compiled by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), between January and August, footwear exports totaled 63.87 million pairs and US$ 654.78 million, marking declines in both volume (-22.4%) and revenue (-20.4%) compared to the same period last year. The scenario is different for footwear imports, which during the same period totaled 23.94 million pairs and US$ 300.44 million, representing a 12.1% increase in volume but a 5.1% drop in revenue compared to the corresponding interval last year.

According to Abicalçados, the increase in imports and the decline in exports led to a 30% drop in the sector's trade balance. “In August, we saw a sharp decline in export volume to Argentina (-30.8%), our second-largest foreign market, which has been pulling down Brazilian footwear exports,” said Abicalçados’ Executive President, Haroldo Ferreira. “We are in a period of low international consumption. And this lower demand has been absorbed by Asian producers, particularly in China, which re-entered the market aggressively after strict Covid-19 containment policies,” explained the director.

Destinations

The United States, Brazil's main international destination for footwear, imported 6.95 million pairs between January and August, paying US$ 147.62 million, a drop in both volume (-5.3%) and revenue (-8.3%) compared to the same period in 2023.

Argentina ranked second, importing 6.8 million pairs of Brazilian shoes worth US$ 128.7 million in the first eight months of 2023, a decrease in both volume (-36.7%) and revenue (-23.4%) compared to the same period last year.

Paraguay surpassed France in the ranking of destinations. Between January and August, 5.47 million pairs were shipped to the neighboring country, amounting to US$ 28.2 million, with declines in both volume (-19.2%) and revenue (-12.8%) compared to the corresponding period in 2023.

Footwear parts and components

In terms of footwear parts -uppers, insoles, soles, heels, etc.- imports in the eight months totaled US$ 23.72 million, up 26.6% from the same period last year. The main sources were China, Paraguay, and Colombia.

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