Brazilian exports were impacted by the 11 days of protest of truck drivers. According to data from the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), released by Agência Brasil, the drop in the average foreign sales reached 36%.
In the first three weeks of May, average sales were above $ 1 billion, falling to $ 642 million in the last week of the month, which ended on the 31st. In the week between the 21st and 27th, the volume exported also fell significantly, to a daily average of US $ 699 million.
Despite the decrease in the average, the month of May ended with a favorable result, since balance of trade balance was positive in US $ 6 billion.
“Products such as oil, shipped directly to the sea, and iron ore using the railroad, were less affected. Much of the soybean flow was secured by existing stocks in the ports,” said director of statistics for MDIC Herlon Brandão, in exemplifying why commodities were less affected by the truckers’ strike. The director stressed, however, that the effects of reducing the flow of trade during the standstill of the transporters still “can be felt in time”, since many companies stopped production in the period.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.