The impact of the truckers’ strike on exports and imports was completely reversed, said today (3) the Secretary of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), Abrão Neto. According to him, exports returned to the average observed before the shutdown in the third week of June. Imports recovered earlier in the second week of the month.

According to the secretary, before the strike, exports were in the house of $ 1 billion per week. They fell to $ 699 million in the third week of May and to $ 642 million in the last week of May. In June, they totaled $ 738 million in the first week of the month and $ 812 million in the next seven days. In the third week of June alone, foreign sales reached US $ 1.115 billion, again surpassing the US $ 1 billion barrier.

For imports, whose weekly average was $ 700 million before the shutdown, foreign purchases fell to $ 550 million in the third week of May, $ 459 million in the last week of the month and $ 404 million in the first week of June. In the second week of the month, however, foreign sales reacted to US $ 709 million.

In June, exports totaled US $ 20.202 billion, up 2.1% from the daily average compared to the same month in 2017. According to Minister Marcos Jorge de Lima, head of the MDIC, growth could have been higher were it not for the stoppage of truckers, but the effects of the strike are outdated.

“We were expecting more growth this month. I believe that the truckers’ strike was one of the factors that impacted the lower growth of exports. But foreign trade has already recovered, “the minister said. He maintained the forecast that the country will end the year with exports outpacing imports around $ 50 billion.

Oil platforms
MDIC’s Secretary of Foreign Trade stressed that the new Repetro, a special customs regime that exempts goods destined for oil exploration, will cause oil companies to bring oil platforms and other equipment registered abroad. This measure, the secretary admitted, should impact the trade balance, but gradually because companies in the industry have up to two years to adapt to the new rules.

“At the moment, it is not possible to estimate how much the new regime will increase imports and reduce the balance of the trade balance, because other products besides oil platforms are registered in subsidiaries outside the country. However, the internalization of these equipment will depend on the schedule of each company, which has up to two years to fit the new Repetro, “said Abbra Neto.

Source: Agencia Brasil