BRAZIL TRADE SURPLUS RISES IN FEBRUARY
The trade surplus doubled in
february to 261 mln dlrs from January's 129 mln, but was  below
the 628 mln of February 1986, official figures show.
    The director of the Banco do Brasil's foreign trade
department (CACEX), Roberto Fendt, told reporters the upturn in
February confirmed a rising trend in exports, which totalled
1.53 billion dlrs against 1.26 billion in January and, after
excluding coffee and oil derivitives, was only slightly below
the same month last year.
    Coffee earnings were down to 110 mln dlrs against 295 mln
in February 1986 because of lower prices, he added.
    Fendt said that although the February results were lower
than the average expected for the rest of the year, the
government's target of an eight-billion-dlr surplus for 1987
should be achieved. This would compare with a 1986 surplus of
9.5 billion dlrs.
    Exports this year are expected to total 22.5 billion dlrs
and imports 14.5 billion, he added. In 1986 exports totalled
22.4 billion dlrs and imports 12.9 billion.
    Fendt said the rise in imports in February to 1.27 billion
dlrs from 1.12 billion in February last year was in line with
government plans to foster economic growth.
    Fendt said that imports were running at levels well above
the traditional average for Brazil.
    In the first two months of the year imports, excluding oil
and wheat totalled, 1.8 billion dlrs against 1.47 billion in
the same 1986 period.
    This rise in import demand reflected the needs of Brazilian
industry to equip to raise production and is perfectly
compatible with the government's program for economic growth,
Fendt added.
 Reuter
