São Paulo – The trade balance closed July with a US$ 2.379 billion surplus. Brazil’s exports and imports both declined last month, but imports dropped more and, thus, the balance rate was positive, according to data released this Monday (3rd) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC). In total, Brazil exported US$ 18.526 billion in July, or US$ 805.5 million per day. By the daily average, there was a decline of 19.5% in sales over July 2014. Imports, in turn, totaled US$ 16.147 billion and were 24.8% less considered the daily average, which stood at US$ 702 million.
According to the MDIC’s data, there was a drop in exports in the three categories of products in July. Among basic goods the declined registered was of 22.4% due, mainly, to fewer shipments of crude oil, iron ore and tobacco leaves. Among finished products, shipments dropped 16.2% over July 2014. The decline was determined by, mainly, fewer sales of fuel oils, earthmoving machinery and refined sugar. The semi-finished group exported 15.7% less than July 2014, with fewer shipments of cast iron, soybean oil and semi-finished gold.
The Middle East was the only destination to where exports increased. According to the MDIC, sales were 6.5% higher in July due to the performances of beef and poultry, iron ore, aluminum oxide and hydroxide, soybeans, grain maize, semi-finished gold, earthmoving machinery and malleable cast-iron pipes.
Among July’s imports, there was a decline of 60.9% in the purchases of fuel and lubricants, of 17.6% in inputs and intermediate goods, of 12.7% in consumer goods and of 10.7% in capital goods.
In the first seven months of the year, exports totaled US$ 112.854 billion, 15.5% less than in the period of January to July 2014. Imports, in turn, totaled US$ 108.255 billion in the same period, a decline of 19.5% in the same comparison. The trade balance surplus from January to July of this year stands at US$ 4.599 billion. In the same period of last year, the sector registered a deficit of US$ 952 million.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
