Rio de Janeiro – The analysis of isolated trade balance figures shows that “the result is not bad, considering the scenery forecasted for 2009”. On commenting the result, disclosed today (4) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, the vice president of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Association (AEB), José Augusto de Castro, recalled that the trade surplus of US$ 24.615 billion is practically the same as in 2008.
The surplus only fell by 1.4% in comparison with the previous trade balance result (US$ 24.956 billion). Both exports and imports dropped in 2009, due to the international financial crisis.
In an interview to Agência Brasil, Castro attributed the trade balance result to higher commodity prices (agricultural and mineral products traded on the international market). “If it were not for them, we would have a very small surplus, or even a trade deficit. But, alone, it is a good surplus.”
What interests Brazil is global trade, said Castro. “What generates jobs and employment is global trade, which dropped by US$ 91 billion, which was already forecasted due to the global trade crisis,” he explained.
The main products sustaining the Brazilian trade balance last year were commodities, which had a small reduction. “This caused exports to drop less and the surplus to be practically the same as in 2008,” finished off Castro.
*Translated by Mark Ament