Positive difference between exports and imports is 4.9% higher than in the same month in 2017
Agribusiness exports in January totaled US $ 6.16 billion, up 4.9% from January’s US $ 5.87 billion last year. Imports fell 2.7% from $ 1.27 billion to $ 1.24 billion. As a result, the sector’s result was a surplus of US $ 4.92 billion, 6.9% above the US $ 4.60 billion obtained in January 2017. In a note, the Ministry of Agriculture said that the five main products exported were meat (19.3% of the total); forest products (18.7%); soy complex (16.8%); sugarcane complex (10.3%); and cereals, flour and preparations (8.9%).
“These five sectors accounted for 73.8% of total agribusiness exports in January 2018. In January 2017, the same sectors accounted for 76.3% of the total exported,” the ministry said. “This decrease in participation was mainly due to the decrease in the share of the sugar-alcohol complex in agribusiness sales, which lost a relative participation from 17.5% in January 2017 to 10.3% in January 2018.”
Foreign sales of meat totaled US $ 1.19 billion, down 2.3% from January last year. “Beef was the highlight, with a 24.2% increase, from US $ 417.52 million in January 2017 to US $ 518.41 million in January 2018. There was an increase in both the amount exported (+15.7 %) of beef and the average export price (+ 7.3%). ”
The soybean complex surpassed the US $ 1 billion mark in foreign sales, reaching US $ 1.03 billion (+ 7.4%), a record figure for January. “The strong expansion in the amount exported from soybeans (+ 71.5%), with a record value and volume for the month, allowed the increase in exported value, even with the 5% drop in the average price,” said the ministry . “Foreign sales of soybeans totaled US $ 594.26 million (+ 62.9%), while exports of bran fell 26.2% to US $ 395.38 million, and oil exports decreased by 30% , 3%, with foreign sales of US $ 42.21 million. ”
Sales of the sugar and alcohol complex fell from US $ 1.03 billion in January 2017 to US $ 634.01 million. The export volume of sugar fell by 29.2%, and the average price fell by 16.8%. “In fact, foreign sales of sugar increased from US $ 955.40 million to US $ 562.54 million. Alcohol exports also declined from US $ 71.54 million to US $ 70.08 million (-2% ). ”
Also according to the Ministry, the main products imported were wheat (US $ 124.32 million, + 18.3%); paper (US $ 80.82 million, + 33.7%); ethyl alcohol (US $ 73.11 million, -14.9%); clothing and other textile products (US $ 50.10 million, + 13.6%); salmon (US $ 46.20 million, + 4.3%); olive oil (US $ 37.30 million, + 77.8%); potatoes (US $ 31.33 million, + 25.1%); natural rubber (US $ 29.80 million, + 6.7%); whole cocoa or broken cocoa (US $ 28.32 million, + 24.8%); fish fillets, frozen (US $ 27.90 million, -13.6%).
Source: Estadão / Globo Rural
