Brazil’s trade balance shows $8.15 billion surplus in April
The fall in the price of various commodities caused Brazil’s trade surplus to shrink in April, despite the start of some harvests. Last month, the country exported $8.153 billion more than it imported, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services reported on Wednesday. Compared to April 2024, the surplus fell by 3.3 percent.
The balance of trade increased $17.728 billion in the first four months of 2025—down 34.2 percent from the same months last year. The drop occurred because the trade balance had a deficit of $471.6 million in February, due to the import of an oil platform.
Both exports and imports broke records. In April, the country exported $30.409 billion, up 0.3 percent on the same month last year and the best April since 1989, when the time series began. Imports totaled $22.256 billion, up 1.6 percent on the same comparison and also the highest figure in history.
Exports
On the export side, foreign sales of soybeans, the main agricultural product, fell by 6.1 percent compared to April last year, due to a 9.7 percent drop in average prices. Sales of iron ore were down 14.3 percent, due to a 16.4 percent drop in prices.
However, the rise in the price of coffee and beef helped the balance. Sales of some products—such as beef, vehicles, and pig iron—rose last month, offsetting the decrease in prices of other products.
Imports
As for imports, purchases of engines, machinery, medicines, vehicle components, fertilizers, and chemicals were on the rise. The biggest surge was seen in fertilizers, the value of which rose by $327.4 million (+36.2%) in April compared to April last year.
