Exports surpassed imports by US$ 700 million in the third week of November, according to numbers released on Monday (20) by the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC).

According to the ministry, the surplus is the result of US$ 3.705 billion in exports and US$ 3.004 billion in imports. The aggregated trade surplus for the month has now reached US$ 2.517 billion.

The numbers for the third week were influenced by increases in two of the major export categories. Daily average sales of semimanufactured goods abroad grew 5.9% compared to the second week, driven chiefly by raw sugar, ferro-alloys, crude aluminum, semimanufactured gold and copper cathodes.

Basic goods, meanwhile, saw a 6% increase, pushed by strong shipments of crude oil, soybean meal, iron ore, coffee beans, poultry and beef.