Shirley Prestes
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Porto Alegre – Brazilian footwear exports dropped 16% in March, and 11% in the first quarter of this year, when compared to 2004. According to the Brazilian Association of Shoe Manufacturers (Abicalçados), in March, 20 million pairs of shoes were shipped abroad, and in the first three months of 2005, more than 60.1 million pairs were sent to other countries.

According to the Executive Director of Abicalçados, Heitor Klein, March’s total exports of US$160 million were 3% inferior to that of March of last year, when they reached US$164.8 million. Klein said that manufacturers attribute the bad numbers to the exchange rate policy, which has been making business difficult for several months.

Translation: Andréa Alves