MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of chemical products into Brazil fell by 2.3% to US$4.2bn in October compared to the same month last year, said Bnamericas.
Exports slipped by 3.8% to USD1.3bn. For the first 10 months of the year, imports were 9.2% higher than in the same period in 2012, at USD38.7bn, while exports were down 4.8% at USD11.9bn.
Compared to the month of September this year, chemical imports were 8% higher while exports rose by 6.8%.
In a statement, Abiquim's director of foreign trade, Denise Naranjo, said that Brazil's trade deficit in chemicals had stabilized in recent months as a result of the depreciation of the Brazilian real, which encouraged exports and was a disincentive to imports.
Because of the effects of the lower real, Abiquim reduced its forecast for Brazil's trade deficit in chemicals this year to USD32.2bn from its previous estimate of USD33bn.
According to Abiquim, thermoplastic resins are Brazil's most exported chemical product. However, exports of these resins was 10.7% lower than in the first 10 months of 2012, at USD1.7bn.
Imports of fertilizers, the most imported chemical product in Brazil, rose by 7.2% to USD6.9bn.
MRC