São Paulo – Brazilian exports were greater than imports in the third week of February, which had only three working days due to Carnival. According to the figures disclosed on Monday (18) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, last week exports totalled US$ 2.454 billion and imports, US$ 2.275 billion, with a trade surplus of US$ 179 million.
According to the ministry, in the third week of February, the daily average of transfers was US$ 818 million, 1.8% below the US$ 833 million exported in the second week. Sales of partly manufactured products dropped 22.6%, those of manufactured products, 6.4% and those of basic products grew 6.3%.
Imports in the period dropped 20.7% over the second week. The daily average was US$ 758.7 million against US$ 956.5 million. The products with the greatest reductions in imports were fuels and lubricants, mechanical products, organic and inorganic chemicals, precision optics equipment, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals.
This month, exports totalled US$ 8.014 billion and imports, US$ 7.452 billion, with a negative balance of US$ 562 million. In the year, the trade deficit has already reached US$ 4.597 billion, as imports totalled US$ 28.017 billion and exports, US$ 23.420 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament
