Lourenço Melo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - Brazil's exports in January reached a record US$9.27 billion. With imports at US$6.42 billion, the country's trade surplus rose to US$2.84 billion, the highest ever for January.

It looks like 2006 total exports will reach the target set by minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, of US$132 billion (the final, cumulative total of exports for 2005 was US$118 billion, with increases in all economic segments: manufactured goods, semi- manufactured and raw materials).

Cumulative exports between February 2005 and January 2006 reached over US$120 billion, up 22.4%, compared to the period February 2004 to January 2005.

Translation: Allen Bennett