Abiquim: imports grow 3.8% in August compared with August of 2016 to $ $3.7 bi

Imports of chemical products totaled $ $3.7 billion in August of 2017, highest value recorded for a single month since July 2015, when were imported $ $3.9 billion in chemicals, reports the Brazilian chemical industry Association (Abiquim). The amount corresponds to an increase of 16% compared to July and 3.8% compared with August 2016.
In terms of volumes, have been imported 4 million tons in August, highest mark since November 2014, when 4.2 million tonnes were imported. The amount represents an increase of 2.5% compared to July and 5.9% in comparison with August 2016.
Year to date, foreign purchases of chemical products total $ $24.1 billion, increase of 6.7% compared to the same period in 2016. The volume of imports, from 28.9 million tonnes, grew by 20.8% in the same period of comparison.
Exports
Already exports totaled $ $1.2 billion in August, 9.5% rise in comparison with July and 11.8% over the same month of 2016. In volume, the result of August was 0.5% higher than for the previous month and 3.9% higher than that recorded in August last year.
Year to date, exports reached $ $8.9 billion, 11.3% value above that registered between January and August 2016.
Deficit
According to the Abiquim, the trade deficit of chemicals, until August, totaled $ $15.2 billion, 4.1% higher than the amount registered in the same period in 2016.
In the last 12 months (September 2016 to August this year), the trade deficit reached $ $22.6 billion. Abiquim''s prediction is that by the end of the year the result may be higher than the $ $23.5 billion.
In a statement, the Director of Foreign Trade Affairs, Abiquim Denise Naranjo, says it is extremely worrying that the absence of public policies that encourage the aggregation of value in the chemical industry already is translating in deactivation of units productive and escalation of participation of the imported product in the domestic consumption.
"While still modest recovery in demand for chemicals, continues growing imports of goods which would be manufactured in conditions of total Country. It is essential to a coherent industrial policy to the brazilian reality and to eliminate the pressure from the high costs of energy, natural gas and naphtha, fundamental elements for the maintenance of industrial plants, with greater use of their installed capacity, and strategic for the attraction of new investments, "says Denise.