Exports from the state of Rio de Janeiro broke record in September and reached US$ 1.4 billion. With this, accumulated foreign sales reached US$ 10.9 billion in the year, 27.4% more than in the same period last year, according to the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan).
Last month, state imports totaled US$ 680.8 million, an increase of 49.6% over September 2005. The strong expansion of foreign sales reverted the reduction tendency that had been identified over the last 12 months. This way, the trade balance was US$ 703.2 million in the month and US$ 3.094 billion from January to September.
Apart from petroleum, which leads the state’s foreign sales, exports of chemical products, ores and metallurgical products also rose. From January to September, the best export performance belongs to the mining industry, which presented growth of 85.8%. Then came the chemical industry, with expansion of 65.6% in the year.
The growth in imports in September was powered by transport material, and the pharmaceutical, chemical and mechanical sectors. The highlight, in the accumulated result for the year, is the metallurgical industry, which purchased 120.1% more than in the same period in 2005.