Brazilian imports of plastics raw materials in first nine months of 2013 up 22.9% year-over-year to US$2.05B, exports fall 14.5% to US$1.4M, yielding trade deficit of US$620M, down from US$3.9M surplus; NAFTA, excluding Mexico, contributed 25% of imports

Allison Oesterle

November 6, 2013 (BNamericas) – Brazil's imported US$2.05bn of raw materials for plastics in the first nine months of 2013, 22.9% more than in the same period in 2012, plastics industry association Abiplast said.

Meanwhile, exports slipped 14.5% to US$1.43mn, generating a trade deficit of US$620mn compared with a surplus of US$3.9mn at the same period in 2012.

Based on data from the ministry of trade, Abiplast said that 25% of imports came from the Nafta trade bloc (excluding Mexico), reflecting the renewed competitiveness of US petrochemical production as a result of the use of shale gas for feedstocks.

The region provided 38% of Brazil's low-density polyethylene (LDPE) imports, which increased by 24% to US$154mn, and 45% of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) imports, which rose by 20.3% to US$421mn. It also supplied 45% of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) imports, up 22.9% to US$343mn.

Asia supplied 16% of import and the European Union 11%. Asia supplied 76% of expanded polystyrene (EPS) imports, which increased by 63.9% to US$73.3mn, and 69% of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) imports, up 31.7% to US$168mn.

Brazil's imports of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) increased 17.7% to US$428mn and polypropylene (PP) imports increased 22.3% to US$365mn.
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