FOREIGN TRADE: FIVE MAJOR PARTNERS ABSORB 65% OF BRAZILIAN EXPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF

With the beginning of the recovery of the world economy, Brazilian exports responded positively in the first half of 2021. During the period, Brazil’s trade with the world was US$ 236.1 billion. Of this total, according to a survey by CNI (the national industry confederation), 65% of exports were to five major trading partners – China, European Union, United States, Mercosur, and Japan. Together, they totaled US$ 88.4 billion in exports in the first half. The largest volume went to China, with US$ 47.2 billion, an increase of 39% compared to the first half of 2020. Next comes the European Union, with US$ 17.8 billion (+26%); followed by the United States, with US$ 13.3 billion (+10%); Mercosur, with US$7.9 billion (+46%); and Japan, with US$ 2.2 billion (+22%). When considering these five main partners together, the sum of 2021 increased by 31.8% compared to the same period in 2020 and is the highest in the last 5 years. As exports totaled US$ 136.4 billion (+35.5%) and imports totaled US$ 99.4 billion (+26.8%), the trade balance for the semester is US$ 37.1 billion, which represents a growth of 66.3%.

Sources: Comex do Brasil/Datamar News