São Paulo – The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of USD 828 million in the second week of March. Although the period’s trade balance was positive, exports were lower compared to the first week of the month, according to data released this Monday (14) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC). In all, exports reached USD 3.33 billion, and imports, USD 2.502 billion.
In the five business days from March 7 to 13, exports amounted to USD 666 million on average per day, a decline of 14.7% in comparison to the average exported in the month’s first week.
In the second week, according to the MDIC, exports of finished goods dropped 27.1%. The decline was due especially to a drop in shipments of centrifuges and filtering and purifying equipment, passenger cars, aircraft, ethanol, refined sugar, steel/iron flat rolled products and polymers. Shipments of semi-finished products were down 27.1% due to the decline of sales of wood pulp, semi-finished gold, ferro-alloys, hides and raw aluminum.
Sales of basic goods were up 2.9% over the first week and reached USD 315.7 million on average per business day. Sales increased especially with soy beans, crude oil, maize grains, iron ore, coffee beans and beef.
Imports reached USD 500.5 million on average per day, with an increase of 6.2% over the first week of the month. Sales increased, especially, with mechanical equipment, auto and auto parts, organic and inorganic chemicals, plastics and by-products, optical and precision instruments and steel products.
In the year-to-date comparison of the last and current year, there is a decline of 7.1% in exports by the daily average, to USD 717.1 million, due to the decline in shipments in the three categories of products.
Imports also declined due to lower spending with fuel and lubricants, steel products, electronics, auto and auto parts, mechanical equipment and organic and inorganic chemicals. With imports, the decline reached 35.1% to USD 487.5 million on average per day.
In the month up to the second week, the Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of USD 2.067 billion. Year-to-date, the surplus is at USD 6.030 billion. Last year, year-to-date up to March’s second week, the trade balance registered a deficit of USD 6.084 billion.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani