BRASILIA - The Brazilian trade balance registered in January, the worst monthly balance in 24 years. The result - the difference between exports and imports - was a negative balance of $ 4.035 billion. According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) in the period, exports totaled U.S. $ 15.968 billion and imports, U.S. $ 20.003 billion. The international purchases were records for the month of January.

In the fourth week, the deficit was $ 1.058 billion, with exports of $ 3.556 billion and imports of $ 4.614 billion. In the fifth week of January, the balance was also negative, at $ 276 million. Foreign sales totaled U.S. $ 2.919 billion and imports, U.S. $ 3.195 billion.

Secretary of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), Tatiana Prazeres, said the trade deficit in January is "important" and "expressive" in absolute terms. This is the worst result of the monthly series started in 1990. However, he said that, in relative terms represents a decline compared to other monthly deficits.

"This deficit is significant, but the absolute number needs to be contextualized when analyzing foreign trade as a whole. Brazilian foreign trade has grown in recent years," he said.
Tatiana said that the January deficit represents 25.3% of the value of exports in the month. The final deficit was worse in December 1996 of U.S. $ 1.787 billion. This figure, however, represented 47.2% of foreign sales that month. "In December 1996, the deficit accounted for half of everything that Brazil exported. Represents the January quarter than Brazil exported in the month," he said.

Exports

The average daily exports in the first month of the year was $ 725.8 million, second highest result for the month of January. However, decreased by 1.1% compared to the same period last year. The result was boosted by exports of semi-manufactured goods, which reached a record of $ 2.668 billion, an increase of 6.6% over the same month last year. Already the foreign sales of manufactured last month totaled $ 6.261 billion, up 1%.
Moreover, commodities explain the drop in exports in January. They totaled $ 6.546 billion, a decrease of 5.9% compared to January 2012. The main declines were crude oil, coffee bean, soybean, tobacco leaves, chicken and copper ore.
In manufactured, grown mainly shipments of ethanol, frozen orange juice, sugar and passenger cars. In the semi, the increase was driven by iron, raw sugar, raw aluminum, copper cathodes and hides and skin.

Imports

The daily average imports of $ 909.2 million in January, up 14.6% compared to the same month of 2012. Capital goods (machinery) were responsible for the increase of 14.6% compared to the same month of 2012.

Imports of raw materials and intermediate goods increased by 7.9% and fuels and lubricants, 55.7%.