São Paulo – The Brazilian trade balance started August with a surplus of US$ 726 million, according to data released this Monday (10th) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC). The rate is the result of US$ 3.9 billion in exports and US$ 3.18 billion in imports. Brazilian exports declined in the period, but imports dropped even more.
The daily average of international sales, during the August 3rd to 7th week, was US$ 781.2 million, a decline of 19.8% over the same period of August last year. There was a decline of 24.4% in exports of finished products due to the performance of auto, earthmoving machinery, fuel oil, freight vehicles, aluminum oxides and hydroxides, aircraft and pneumatics.
Sales of basic goods declined 22.6% due, mainly, to soybean meal, iron ore, crude oil, maize grains, beef, tobacco leaves and coffee grains. In turn, exports of semi-finished increased 8.9% with higher sales of crude soybean oil, semi-finished gold, wood pulp and semi-finished iron and steel.
Imports had a daily average of US$ 636 million last week, which means a 30.8% decline over August’s first week of last year. Spending with products such as oils and lubricants, organic and chemical fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, steel products and electronics declined.
Year-to-date until the first week of August, exports totaled US$ 116.7 billion, and imports totaled US$ 111.4 billion. The trade balance rate in the period is registering a surplus of US$ 5.3 billion.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
