São Paulo – Brazil’s trade balance surplus is still negative this month. According to figures disclosed on Monday (14) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, the country exported US$ 4.027 billion and imported US$ 4.905 billion in the second week of January, resulting in a deficit of US$ 878 million. In the accumulated result for the year, the country exported US$ 6.277 billion and imported US$ 7.255 billion, with a deficit of US$ 978 million.
The daily average of exports in the second week of January was US$ 805.4 million, growth of 7.4% over the first week. Exports of manufactured goods grew 12.9%, specially those of passenger cars, refined sugar and aluminium oxides and hydroxides. Shipments of basic products grew 12.7%, especially iron ore, oil and chicken. On the other hand, exports of partly manufactured goods dropped 16.4%, mainly those of sugar in bulk, pulp and iron or steel manufactured products.
The daily average of imports grew 25.2% over the first week of January and is due, according to the MDIC, to the growth of spending with fuels and lubricants, mechanical and electric equipment and electronic products.
In the accumulated result for the month, the average of exports is at US$ 784.6 million, growth of 6.9% over the same period in 2012, with the expansion in shipments of basic, partly manufactured and manufactured products. In comparison with December 2012, there was a 20.5% reduction.
Imports in January 2013, in turn, reached a daily average of US$ 906.9 million, 14.3% greater than in the same period last year. Spending with chemical products grew 67%; with grain and grinding products, 48.1%; with pharmaceuticals, 39.4%; with fuel and lubricants, 39.3%; and with synthetic and artificial fibres, 30.7%. In comparison with December 2012, imports grew 3.6%.
In 2012, the country had a US$ 19.438 billion trade balance surplus, the lowest result since 2002 and 34.7% less than recorded in 2011. The government of Brazil attributes the performance to the international crisis.
*Translated by Mark Ament
