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Exports from the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, totalled US$ 683.6 million in April, an increase of 94.6% in comparison to April last year. The performance of state oil exports, which generated US$ 291 million, strongly influenced the result for the month.
This was the largest value registered by the sector since July 2002, when Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil, shipped the equivalent to US$ 304 million in oil. These figures are part of the Rio Exporta bulletin, which was published last week by the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan). The study reveals that the entire industrial sectors is presenting sales on the increase, with special attention to the area of mechanics, whose expansion reached 500.6% in April and 334% in the first four months of the year. Exports from the state of Rio de Janeiro grew 31.2% in the first months of the year and reached US$ 2.142 billion. Oil also contributed to the performance of the first quarter of 2005. According to the economic team of the Firjan, the more intense export rhythm generated a trade balance surplus to the state for the second month running, a total of US$ 169.6 million. With this, the accumulated surplus in the first four months of 2005 reached US$ 84.6 million, by far exceeding the US$ 12.4 million registered in the same period in 2004. Total state participation in Brazilian exports reached 7.4%, exceeding the 5% average observed in previous months. The United States is still the main destination for products shipped by the state of Rio de Janeiro, answering to 15.8% of the total. São Paulo, also in southeastern Brazil, however, is the main exporter in the country. Shipping from the state generated US$ 2.8 billion in April and US$ 10.7 billion in the year to date. With regard to imports by the state of Rio de Janeiro, which reached US$ 514 million in April and US$ 2.058 billion in the year, the growth was 33.1% and 27%, respectively. Agência Brasil
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