São Paulo – Imports of chemical products to Brazil amounted to USD 44.1 billion last year, up 2% year-on-year. The country purchased 47.6 million tonnes, up 5.4% from a year before, the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (Abiquim) reported last Tuesday (21). The volume imported is an all-time high.
The main item imported were intermediate fertilizers. Imports of this group reached USD 8.1 billion and 28.4 million tonnes, accounting for 67.6% of chemical imports.
The Arab countries were major fertilizer suppliers to Brazil. According to data from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, the bloc sold just over USD 2 billion in fertilizers to Brazil in 2019, virtually the same from a year before. The volume was nearly 7 million tonnes, up 2.7% year on year. Morocco (pictured) was the region’s top exporter.
Exports
Chemical exports from Brazil, on the other hand, grossed USD 12.6 billion, down 8.1% from a year before. The economic crisis in Argentina impacted not just foreign fertilizer sales but overall Brazilian exports. Thermoplastic resins were the main item exported.
With this, the Brazilian chemical industry posted a trade deficit of USD 21.5 billion. According to Abiquim, the deficit has consistently and progressively grown over the last four years.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
