Sao Paulo, Brazil, 23 April – Brazilian imports from members of the Community of Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language (CPLP) rose 68.74 percent in the first quarter of the year to US$294 million, according to figures from the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.

The CPLP products most imported by Brazil in the first three months of the year were crude oil, olive oil, salt cod, acrylic cables, wine and pears.

Oil was the biggest driver of the rise in Brazilian imports. Oil arriving in Brazil from the CPLP increased 90 percent in volume and 213 percent in value between the first quarter of 2007 and the same period of 2008.

By March of this year Brazil had imported 276,798 tonnes of oil, valued at US$188.37 million.

In the first quarter of 2008, Brazil posted a trade surplus of US$388.6 million with the CPLP, which is a fall of 10.6 percent year on year.

The products that Brazil sold most to the Portuguese-speaking countries were crude oil, soy, maize, diesel engines and chassis, tarctors and iron ore. (macauhub)