Brasília, September 2, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazil registered a record trade surplus in August: US$ 2.6 billion. The result of US$ 6.4 billion in exports and US$ 3.7 billion in imports. The daily average of sales abroad in August was US$ 304.9 million. So far this year, the cumulative trade surplus comes to US$ 15.1 billion, as against US$ 5.3 billion for the same period last year.

The secretary of Foreign Trade, Ivan Ramalho, explained that the increase in export operations closed in the month of August can be attributed to the addition of non-traditional markets to the export list and to the sale of manufactured and semi-manufactured products, responsible for 53% of the export portfolio. The conquest of new markets was expressive in areas of Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Among the major manufactured products, those that experienced greatest growth, in comparison with August, 2002, were: PVC materials, which increased 102% and were purchased in greatest quantity by Argentina, Chile, Spain, and China; edible oils, 83.3%; cargo vehicles, 71.9%; and automobiles, 50.7%.

Sales increased to all regions, with special emphasis on Eastern Europe, 78.4%; the Middle East, 49.5%; Africa, 34.4%; Latin America, 31.5%; and Asia, 20.9%. (DAS)