São Paulo, 9/2/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazil's record trade surplus of US$2.6 billion in August may have been partially influenced by the strike of customs inspectors (Receita Federal) which slowed down imports, says minister of Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan. If that was the case, says the minister, it just makes the challenge for the rest of the year more formidable. He says that the goal of increasing Brazil's exports by US$8 billion this year to a total of US$63 billion, "is already in the bag and that was the important thing."

However, Furlan goes to explain that the size of the year's surplus will depend not only on exports, but also on imports. And if imports were repressed in August as a result of the strike, there could be a surge in the next few months, he points out.

Furlan says that Brazil needs to export a total of US$23.5 billion, almost US$6 billion per month, between now and the end of the year in order to match performance in the last quarter of 2002. "That is our challenge," says the minister. (AB)