Exceeding expectations, Brazilian foreign trade performed excellently in the first quarter of 2021.

The trade flow (sum of exports and imports), an important indicator of economic activity, reached US$47.528 billion last month.

The trade balance showed a surplus of US$1.65 billion in the period, a decrease of 62.51%, based on the daily average, compared to the first three months of last year.

In March, exports grew by 27.8%, totaling US$24.5 billion, and imports increased by 51.7%, totaling US$23.02 billion. Thus, the trade balance registered a surplus of US$1.48 billion for the month, with a decrease of 63%, and the trade flow increased by 38.3%, reaching US$47.53 billion.

In a press conference, the Secretary of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy, Lucas Ferraz, recalled that Brazilian exports and imports have been increasing since the third quarter of last year. "So, we see the Brazilian economy recovering, and this, in a way, was reflected in imports, especially, in addition to an international economy also recovering slowly, which is reflected in the growth of our exports," he commented.

Given this more favorable scenario, Ferraz believes that even a new global wave of the pandemic should not have as much of a negative impact on economies as happened in the second quarter of last year. "There is a consensus internationally that the negative impact will tend to be smaller, due to more targeted public policies," he explained.

The fact is that not only have states, importers, and exporters learned from the global crisis that began with the emergence of the new coronavirus, but consumers continue to adapt and learn to live in an environment where the use of technology has become essential.

News commentary by Fabricio Norat, Lawyer, graduated in Law in Graduated in 2014 from FMU/SP Faculdade Metropolitanas Unidas, specializing in Customs, Tax, and Business Law.. OAB/SP No. 431.023.

Source: investexportbrasil.gov.br