Chemical Industry Accumulates Us$ 5.4 Billion in Exports

According to anba: Exports by the Brazilian chemical industry reached US$ 5.4 billion from January to September this year, 29.3% more than in the same period last year. Some 6.3 million tonnes of products were shipped, a 12.9% increase, according to the Brazilian Association of the Chemical Industry (Abiquim). According to the executive vice president at the institution, Guilherme Duque Estrada de Moraes, the increase happened due to the increase in production in some companies, parallel to the increase in the demand in the international market, especially for petrochemicals. There was a drop in the internal demand, during the second quarter, thus leaving more products for exports, and the prices rose. “The prices of the products we exported had high quoting in the international market,” said Moraes. The result helps minimise the sector’s trade balance deficit. Brazil still imports more than it exports. Imports consumed US$ 11.3 billion and the accumulated deficit in the period was of US$ 5.9 billion. The volume of imports was close to 14.9 million tonnes, 17.6% less than in the same period in 2004. Exports of products in the chemical industry go from substances to the production of medicines and even raw materials in the petrochemical sector.