The devaluation of the dollar, which has slowed down the economy, and the rise in Chinese exports, have caused Brazilian footwear exports to fall, both in volume and value, by 18.7 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively, compared to last year.
"When the largest player in the world market, which has exported 2.8 billion pairs up to April alone, retakes its space, the tendency is for other producing countries to lose space", summed Haroldo Ferreira, the Executive President of Abicalçados.
"We are seeing a slowdown in the world's economy, especially in the US and some European countries, major footwear consumers", he concluded.
From this January to May, Argentina took the lead as Brazil's primary export market. In this period, the country shipped 6.58 million pairs of shoes worth 106.6 million US dollars, reflecting a decrease of 3.6 percent in volume compared to the same period in 2022.
After recovering from the pandemic, Brazil ranked fifth among footwear producers worldwide. While exports benefited from increased demand in the US due to the tariffs imposed on Chinese footwear, the domestic market remained depressed.
