São Paulo – Brazilian exports generated US$ 3.216 billion last week, with a working day average of US$ 643.2 million, 18% below the average for the first two weeks of January, according to figures disclosed on Monday by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
Imports, in turn, rose to US$ 4.939 billion, with a daily average of US$ 987.8 million, growth of 8.9% over the average for the two weeks before. This resulted in a trade deficit of US$ 1.723 billion. This is the highest negative balance and the third running since the beginning of 2013.
According to the ministry, there was 25.3% reduction in shipment of basic items, especially crude oil, iron ore, maize, meats (beef, pork and chicken), cotton and soy chaff. Among the manufactured goods, there was 15.5% reduction, mainly in vehicles, refined sugar, plastic polymers, ethanol, orange juice, aluminium oxides and hydroxides and flat iron and steel laminates.
In the case of partly manufactured products, the reduction in foreign sales was 8.8%, with special prominence to sugar in bulk, gold in partly manufactured form, pulp, partly manufactured iron or steel and wrought iron.
On the other end, there was growth mainly in purchases of fuels and lubricants, mechanical equipment, fertilizers, pharmaceutical products, ironworks and precision optics instruments.
In the accumulated result for the month, according to the Ministry, exports totalled US$ 9.493 billion, a reduction of 0.5% in comparison with January last year, on the daily average. Imports totalled US$ 12.194 billion, growth of 18.3% in the same comparison. This resulted in a trade deficit of US$ 2.701 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament
