Giuliana Napolitano
São Paulo – Brazilian import has dropped little over 13% over the last three years. Purchases from developing countries however, have remained stable. This conclusion is part of a study published last Friday (27) by the Institute for Studies in aid of Industrial Development (Iedi).
According to the Iedi executive director, Julio Sérgio Gomes de Almeida, from January to October last year (last figures compiled by the institute), Brazil bought around US$ 14 billion from the developing countries, the same figure that was registered in 1999. In the same period in 2003, rich nation import totalled US$ 18 billion, 31% less than that registered in 1999.
"The general explanation for this difference is that trade is a two-way highway: rarely do you enter a market without offering your own," explained Almeida to ANBA. "Never does only one side come closer to the other," he added, recalling that Brazil has also started selling more to the developing countries.
The Iedi study shows that from 2000 to October 2003, Brazilian export rose on average 11%. Sales to developed countries rose 9%. To the poorer nations, despite the crisis in Argentina, which is one of the main markets for domestic products, the increase was 13%. There was also a 17% expansion in trade with the countries the International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers in "transition": basically Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and Mongolia.
"That means that the Brazilian trade balance with developing countries has risen, which is an important factor," declared Gomes de Almeida. According to him, in 2003, almost 40% of the Brazilian trade balance surplus US$ 24.8 billion was generated by business with the poorer nations.
In that year, up to October, export to the region rose 30%, a rate greater than the average, which was 21%. To developed countries, there was only a 15% increase and to the countries in transition, the growth was 28%.
