Southern Brazilian state Santa Catarina's shoe producers have started sending their products to Arab market.
United Arab Emirates and Kuwait importers last year included shoe industries from cities of São João Batista, Canelinha, Tijucas, Nova Trento and Major Gercino, in the foreign clients list.
These cities are part of local hub in the shoe sector.
Executive Manager of Union of Shoe Industries of São João Batista (SincasJB), Rosenildo de Amorim informed that presently 150 shoe factories operate in the region, producing between 1.2 million and 1.3 million pairs of shoes per month.
Amorim said that about 13 to 15 percent of the shoes produced are exported and the importers are from South America, Central America, Europe, the US and Kuwait.
Arab ambassadors to Brazil visited its cities and industries of São João Batista last year in September.
Apart from Santa Catarina, they have been to Rio Grande do Sul (also in south), Piauí (in the northeast) and Minas Gerais (in the southeast).
About 95 percent of shoe production consists of female shoes rest children's shoes in synthetic material, to leather shoes.
Three years ago industries from five cities joined forces with Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and SincasJB to establish a Local Productive Arrangement, a group through which companies work together.
They take part in Couromoda and Francal fairs in São Paulo everyyear bringing together a great number of foreign buyers.
The group is to participate in GDS fair, a shoe sector fair to take place in Germany between 15th and 17th of September.
Amorim said the group's target is to export 15 percent of production, similar to last years and if the dollar appreciated against Brazilian real, the target may be increased to around 18 percent.
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