São Paulo – Exports from Brazil reached USD 4.262 billion last week, with imports amounting to USD 2.825 billion, leading to a USD 1.437 billion surplus. In the first three weeks of March combined, foreign sales fetched USD 11.527 billion and imports reached USD 7.673 billion, adding up to a USD 3.854 billion surplus. The data were made available this Monday (20) by the Brazilian Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services.
In the three weeks of March, average daily exports were up 22% from the comparable year-ago period. Sales increased for basic goods, driven by iron ore, crude oil, soy, pork, poultry and coffee; for finished goods, especially automobiles, fuel oils, cargo vehicles, flexible iron or steel pipes, hydrocarbons and their halogen-based products; and for semi-finished goods, especially semi-finished iron/steel, wood pulp, raw sugar, ferroalloys and semi-finished gold.
Imports were up 12.3%, driven by beverages and alcohol, electric and electronic equipment, fuel and lubricants, plastic and plastic-based products, organic and inorganic chemicals.
Year-to-date through the third week of March, exports from Brazil reached USD 41.908 billion and imports stood at USD 30.775 billion, leading to a USD 11.134 billion. Average daily exports were up 21.5% from the comparable period in 2016, and imports widened by 10.6%.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
