Brazil's exports increased 6.96% last week compared with the week before, closing at US$ 2.7 billion. During the same period, imports decreased by nearly the same rate (-6.55%), amounting to a little more than US$ 2 billion.
The data were published today, January 22, by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
This resulted in a US$ 678 million trade surplus, 88.33% higher than the US$ 360 million trade balance result recorded in the week before last, which, in turn, had decreased 41.65% compared with the first week of the year.
So far, in the 14 business days of the current month, the Brazilian trade surplus reached US$ 1.6 billion, as a result of US$ 7.2 billion in exports and US$ 5.6 billion in imports.
Honey Up
Brazilian honey exports grew 23% last year when compared to 2005. Despite the European embargo on the Brazilian product, international sales totaled US$ 23.36 million.
Shipments totaled 14,600 tons, an increase of just 1.1% when compared to 2005, according to information disclosed by the Sebrae News Agency.
An analysis by the Sebrae Agribusiness Unit shows that the 23.3% increase in the value of Brazilian honey exports in 2006 was mainly due to the 298% increase in sales to the United States.
Last year foreign sales to the United States totaled US$ 17.33 million, which corresponds to over 74% of total Brazilian exports.