São Paulo – The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of USD 1.488 billion in July up until last Friday (8), the result of USD 4.975 billion in exports and USD 3.487 billion in imports, according to data released this Monday (11) by the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC).
Foreign sales totaled USD 829.1 million per business day, up 2.9% over the daily average of July last year. There was an increase of 17.4% in the shipments of semi-finished products, especially cast iron, raw sugar, semi-finished gold, crude soybean oil, ferroalloy, copper cathodes, wood pulp, and leather.
Exports of basic goods, such as crude oil, copper ore, soybean meal, tobacco, pork and soy beans, were also up 8.4%. However, there was a decline of 8.2% in the shipments of finished products, especially aircraft, electric engines and generators, auto parts, cargo vehicles, passenger vehicles and aluminum oxides and hydroxides.
On the other hand, imports totaled USD 581.1 million per business day, down 17.2% over the daily average of July 2015. Purchases declined especially with steel products, autos and auto parts, organic and inorganic fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and fuel and lubricants.
Year-to-date, exports total USD 95.228 billion with USD 70.088 billion in imports, resulting in a trade surplus of USD 25.14 billion.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
