EN 
PT_BR The diversification of exports to Asia and Europe offset the effects of the US tariffs, three months after the trade retaliation by the Donald Trump administration. Brazilian exports grew 9.11% in October compared to the same month last year, setting a record for the month since the start of the historical series in 1989.
Growth occurred even with the sharp drop of 37.9% in sales to the United States. The data was released this Thursday (6) by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (Mdic). According to the survey, exports totaled US$ 31.97 billion last month, while imports reached US$ 25.01 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$ 6.96 billion.
The decline in exports to the United States, impacted by the tariff increase implemented by the US government, led to a 24.11% drop in sales to North America. This was the only region with a reduction in exports in October.
The main factor in the shrinking sales to North America was the 82.6% drop in oil shipments, equivalent to a loss of US$$. Sales of pulp (43.9%), fuel oils (37.7%), and aircraft and parts (19.8%) also declined. "Even products that were not subject to tariffs, such as fuel oil and pulp, suffered a drop," reported Herlon Brandão, Director of Statistics and Foreign Trade Studies at the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC).
Other markets
The decline in exports to the United States was offset by increased sales to other regions, especially Asia, which saw a 21.21% increase in exports per quarter, driven by China (33.41%), India (55.51%), Singapore (29.21%), and the Philippines (22.41%).
Among the products, the increases in exports of soybeans (64.5%), crude oil (43%), iron ore (31.7%) and beef (44.7%) stood out.
In Europe, sales grew by 7.6%, with strong gains in copper ores (823.6%), beef (73.4%) and cellulose (46.8%). South America showed an increase of 12.6%, driven by shipments of crude oil (141.1%).
According to Brandão, Brazilian exports to the United States have been steadily declining over the past three months. The drop was 16.51% in August, 20.31% in September, and 37.91% in October. "We have observed increasingly higher rates of negative variation compared to the same month of the previous year," explained Brandão.
The director of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) also highlighted that the movement reflects not only the direct effects of the tariffs, but also a possible reduction in US demand. "The main drop in absolute terms was in crude oil, which was not subject to tariffs. This indicates that there are various effects influencing the contraction of exports to the US," he added.
