São Paulo – Exports from Brazil increased in the first two weeks of October from a year ago, the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade reported this Tuesday (13th). During the seven business days from October 1st to 11th, Brazil exported USD 5.589 billion worth of goods, i.e. USD 798.4 million on average per day, up 0.2% from the comparable period of 2014.
Imports reached US$ 4.561 billion, averaging USD 651.6 million a day, down 23.2% from a year ago. Month-to-date, the country had a USD 1.028 billion surplus.
Basic goods exports were up 8.2% to USD 383.1 million on average per business day. The growth was driven by sales of soy, copper ore, maize, oil, tobacco and pepper. Semi-finished goods exports dropped 9.6% to US$ 110.2 million on average per day, as a result of slowing sales of cast iron, wood chips, synthetic rubber, raw sugar, raw soy oil, leather, vegetable wax, semi-finished iron and steel and ferroalloys.
Finished goods exports also dropped year-on-year in October, by 3.4% to USD 287.4 million. Products whose sales declined the most include refined sugar, flat-rolled steel and iron, fuel oils, pumps and compressors, pneumatics, electric motors and generators, land-leveling machines, vehicle motors, pharmaceuticals and auto parts.
In October from September this year, exports grew 3.8% for basic and semi-finished goods. Finished goods exports declined.
Imports dropped the most for aircraft and their parts, down 66.9% in the first two weeks of October from a year ago. Imports were down 61.9% for cotton, 47.4% for paper and paper products, 42.2% for synthetic filaments and fibers, 38.9% for iron and steel products, 35.6% for electric and electronic equipment, 34.1% for rubber and its products, 33.8% for fuels and lubricants, and 28.9% for autos and their parts.
Year-to-date, Brazil ran a USD 11.276 billion surplus, as against a USD 601 million deficit a year ago.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum