São Paulo – The north was the region of Brazil that most expanded exports this year. According to figures disclosed on Friday (12) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, foreign sales from the states of the North generated US$ 11.9 billion from January to October, growth of 42% over the same period last year.
Pará was responsible for the greatest part of shipments. With US$ 9.9 billion in the first 10 months of 2010, the state was in the sixth place among the units of the federation that most sold abroad, only behind São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná.
Parauapebas, in southeastern Pará, was the second Brazilian city that most exported in the period, only after Angra dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro. The shipments from the city generated US$ 6.1 billion from January to October, that is, over half of what the North sold abroad. Local exports grew 86.2% as against the same period last year.
The main product responsible for this growth was iron ore, as Carajás, the largest metal mine in the world, operated by Vale, is in the city. The city arose due to the mine and lives off it. The company answers to 57% of foreign sales from the state.
Apart from iron ore, Pará is a great exporter of other metals, like aluminium, copper, manganese and kaolinite. The state also exports much live cattle.
*Translated by Mark Ament
