Abiquim: chemical balance deficit falls 5.4 percent in 1st quarter

The accumulated deficit of the trade balance of chemical products reached $ 4.0 billion in the first two months of the year, representing a fall of 5.4% as compared to the same period in 2014, as reported on Wednesday, 18, the Brazilian chemical industry Association (Abiquim). According to the entity, in the first quarter of 2015, imports of chemicals were around $ 5.9 billion, retraction of 9.1% over the same period of the previous year. It exports almost $ 2.0 billion, showed a fall of 15.6 percent on the same comparison.
Only in February, foreign purchases of chemical products reached US $ 2.7 billion, decreased by 13.8% compared to January. Exports reached $ 859 million, registering fall of 22.1 percent in the same comparison. Compared to February 2014, imports decreased by 8.7% and exports had fallen 24.2%.
Also according to the Abiquim, intermediaries for fertilizers were the main agenda item of Brazilian import of chemical products, with purchases of $ 812,0 million in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 13.4% over the same period in 2014. Thermoplastic resins already, despite the reduction of 31.4%, were the most exported chemicals across the country, with sales of $ 261,9 million.
"Despite the slowdown in imports of chemical products in recent months, is still quite severe and chronic deficit in the sector in the country, especially when he notes that the participation of imported into national apparent consumption has been growing month by month and already surrounds the 37.5%," he says, in the note, the Director of Foreign Trade Affairs, Abiquim Denise Naranjo. Apparent consumption is the sum of production with imports minus exports.
"In a rather delicate domestic economic scenario, combating unfair practices and illegal trade earn even more relevance, since the damage caused by these types of actions can be irreversible and cost the very survival of many industrial units," adds Denise.