In August, Rio de Janeiro registered a US $ 781 million positive trade balance, compared to US $ 1.8 billion in exports and US $ 1 billion in imports. The surplus was due to a 32% increase in foreign sales, while purchases fell 7% - the lowest level for the month since 2009. The data are from the Rio Exporta Bulletin, produced by the FIRJAN System.

Sales of basic products, mainly crude oil, were responsible for the advance of exports in the month. Also highlighted were shipments of processed products, which grew by 54%. "The main exported goods were tubes and taps, used in the oil and gas chain, and iron and steel rolled, used by the metallurgical industry," explained Claudia Teixeira, a specialist in Foreign Trade at FIRJAN International.

Imports, however, had a 16% reduction in purchases of industrial goods, equivalent to US $ 639 million. The industries that recorded the greatest decline were Other Transport Equipment (92%) and Automotive Vehicles (40%). However, fuel purchases grew 59%.

"On the other hand, imports of capital goods increased 48%, which may represent a resumption of investments in the industry, a fact positive for the economic recovery. One of the main purchases, for example, was cargo vehicles," analyzed Claudia .

Trade with China

In terms of trading partners, the state of Rio continued its expansion of oil sales to China. In the month, the advance was 66%. "That country has great potential for consumption of Brazilian commodities. Thus, opening trade fronts with China is important, especially if we can introduce the export of industrialized products in this equation, "said the expert.

In August, in relation to products other than oil, Rio state's external sales grew by 65%. The exchange with Nafta, which generated US $ 280 million, promoted overall performance with an increase of 88%. According to Claudia, the greatest access to this market was mainly due to the metallurgical industry.

"In recent months, the industry was impacted by regulatory barriers related to dumping, which led to a drop in sales. This month, there was a resumption of exports of this segment, "he said. European Union external purchases also advanced (24%) due to orders from Germany.

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