In the first quarter, Brazil's footwear exports were US$328 million, a year-on-year decrease of 5.7%.

In the first quarter of this year, Brazil exported 38.44 million pairs of shoes worth $328.44 million, a decrease of 5.7% in volume and an increase of 2.4% in value compared to the first quarter of 2022.

The country imported 9.9 million pairs worth $111.96 million in the quarter, which is high in both volume (11.4%) and revenue (27.4%) compared to the first quarter of 2022.

In the first quarter of this year, 38.44 million pairs of footwear were shipped abroad in Brazil, generating US$ 328.44 million. Compared to the same period last year, records were down 5.7 percent in volume and up 2.4 percent in value, according to data compiled by the Brazilian Footwear Association (Abicalçados).

The country's footwear exports in March totaled 11.67 million pairs valued at $108.66 million - a decline in both volume (minus 11.4%) and value (minus 2.6%) compared to March 2022.

Footwear exports to the U.S., the main foreign destination for such items, fell.

The main destination for Brazilian footwear exports in the first quarter of 2023 is the United States. During the quarter, North Americans imported 2.9 million pairs of yellow and green shoes, a decline of $56.87 million in both volume (-51.5%) and revenue (-35.9%) compared to the same period last year.

The second destination in the first quarter was Argentina, which received 3.23 million pairs of shoes worth $55.32 million, an increase in both volume (1.4%) and revenue (52.8%) compared to the same period in 2022.

Haroldo Ferreira, chief executive of Abicalçados, noted that March already reflected a slowdown in the international economy, linked to high inflation, which hurt growth in sectors that produce consumer discretionary goods.

"At the same time, we note the tightening of international competition as China resumes its positioning after the restrictions of the COVID-19 zero policy, and in addition, the drop in international freight costs is lower today than in the same month of the previous year," he said in a release. Nearly 80%".

Countries geographically close to Brazil sought supplies there to the detriment of Asia because of difficulties caused by rising freight rates last year, he said.

"As a result of the slowdown in the international economy and the increase in stock levels in the market, total footwear imports from the United States have decreased by 21.5% (in volume), which has had a direct impact on shipments from Brazil," Ferreira noted.

With substantial growth and surpassing France to take third place, Spain appears in the ranking of the main destinations for Brazilian footwear. In the first quarter, 5.75 million pairs of shoes were shipped there, generating $17.8 million in revenue, an increase of 265.6% and 272.2%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Brazil's main footwear exporter remains Rio Grande do Sul. The second largest exporter this season was the state of Ceará.

Brazil's footwear imports, unlike exports, continue to trend upward. In the first quarter of this year, 9.9 million pairs of shoes worth $111.96 million entered Brazil, which is high in both volume (11.4%) and revenue (27.4%) compared to the first quarter of 2022.

The main origin is still Asian countries. The first of these countries was China, which exported 5.64 million pairs to Brazil during the three-month period and paid $16.22 million - a 12.3% increase in volume and a 2% decline in revenue compared to the first quarter of 2022. %.

In second place is Vietnam. In the first quarter of this year, 2.4 million Vietnamese pairs entered Brazil, spending US$55.58 million, an increase in both volume (21.8%) and revenue (43.6%) compared to the first quarter of 2022.