The surplus registered for Brazil’s trade balance for the month of March up to last week already is the greatest in the year, with still few days to go before closing the month.
The surplus was of US$ 3.022 billion favourable towards Brazil, resulting from US$ 7.85 billion in exports and US$ 4.828 billion in imports. The information was released March 28 by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
In January the surplus was of US$ 2.1 billion, in February of US$ 2.7 billion and in March last year, of US$ 2.5 billion.
According to the ministry, there was an increase in 26.5% in the exports daily average in relation to March 2005, and of 15.4% for imports.
According to the government, there was an increase in all products categories (basics, semi-manufactured and manufactured).
In the case of the semi-manufactured products there was an increase in 46.8% in external sales, driven mainly by the shipments of crude sugar, cast iron, semi-manufactured iron and steel products, synthetic rubber, sawed wood, iron alloys and cellulose.
Manufactured products exports increased in 34.4%, influenced by the sales of iron and steel wires used to manufacture cables, wires, screws, nails, springs and others, transmitting and receiving devices, steel plates, tractors, pumps and compressors, cargo vehicles, auto parts, engines for vehicles and cars.
Shipment of basic products, on its turn, increased 2.8% in the month, driven by coffee grain exports, as well as poultry, swine and bovine beef, tobacco in leaves and iron ore.
In the case of imports, there were increases, mainly, in the purchases of automobiles and auto parts (64.3%), iron and steel products (39.6%), fuels and lubricants (33.3%), plastics and plastic products (24.7%), rubber and rubber products (24.4%), optics instruments (22.6%) and mechanic equipments (17.7%).
During the fourth week of March, Brazilian exports yielded US$ 2.035 billion and imports US$ 1.133 billion, which resulted in a surplus of US$ 902 million, the best weekly surplus in the month and second best in the year.
Up to this point, in 2005, Brazil exported the equivalent to US$ 23.050 billion, an increase in 25.6% in comparison to the same period last year.
Imports added up to US$ 15.058 billion, or 19% more than in the same period in 2004. The accumulated trade surplus is of US$ 7.992 billion, against US$ 5.698 billion in the same period last year.
Anba