São Paulo – Year-to-date as of September, the Brazilian machinery and equipment industry posted revenues of 60.2 billion reais (US$ 34.3 billion), 10.2% more than in the same period of last year. Still, the result is 4.8% lower than that of the first nine months of 2008, before the world financial crisis.
The top-selling items thus far in 2011 were agricultural machinery (26.7%), pumps and motor-pumps (11.8%) custom-made goods (10.0%). There was a decline in revenues from sales of textile industry machinery (-46.4%), valves (-20.1%) and plastics industry machinery (-6.5%). The figures were disclosed this Wednesday (26) by the Brazilian Machinery and Equipment Industry Association (Abimaq).
According to Abimaq, the industry ran a US$ 13.4 billion trade deficit from January to September 2011, a figure 14% higher than the deficit recorded in the same period of 2010. Imports of mechanical capital goods stood at US$ 22 billion, while exports amounted to US$ 8.6 billion. The Abimaq estimates that by the end of the year, the capital goods trade deficit should exceed US$ 18 billion, representing a 14.6% increase over 2010 (US$ 15.7 billion).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
