The state of Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil, exported the equivalent to US$ 1.49 billion in July. This record value is 31.9% greater than the total registered in the month of July 2005.
In the accumulated result for the year, exports from the state of Minas Gerais generated US$ 8.44 billion, 12.6% more than in the first seven months of last year and also a record for the period. These figures were disclosed yesterday (01) by the state government.
According to a statement published by the government of Minas Gerais, the state’s participation in Brazilian exports as a whole reached 11.3%. Still in the first half, the products that were most prominent in the state’s sales were iron ore, vehicles, iron laminates, iron alloys and pulp.
According to the statement, products considered "non traditional" in the trade balance of the state of Minas Gerais also presented a good performance, like toys and games, drinks, milk and dairy products, chocolate, hospital furniture and meats.
In the area of agribusiness, apart from meats, pulp and milk, prominent products include wood, soy and soy oil. Coffee, however, is the main agricultural product exported by Minas Gerais, although sales dropped a little when compared to last year.
The state’s imports, in turn, reached US$ 517.38 million in July. In the first seven months of the year, foreign purchases totalled US$ 2.59 billion, an increase of 21.3% when compared to the same period in 2005. The surplus in the trade balance was US$ 5.85 billion between January and July, 23.26% of the national total.
Anba