EN 
PT_BR 
Brazilian exports to the United States fell 11.31% in April compared to the same month last year, while sales to China grew 32.51% in the period. The data was released on Thursday (07) by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (Mdic).
Sales to the United States totaled US$3.121 billion in April of this year, compared to US$3.517 billion in April 2025. Imports of US products fell by 18.11%, from US$3.780 billion to US$3.097 billion.
With these figures, the trade balance between Brazil and the United States closed April with a surplus of US$20 million for Brazil.
Fees weigh heavily.
Photo: Disclosure
This was the ninth consecutive drop in Brazilian exports to the US market since the imposition of the 50% surcharge by the administration of US President Donald Trump in mid-2025.
Despite the removal of some Brazilian products from the tariff list at the end of last year, the MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade) estimates that 22% of Brazilian exports will continue to be subject to the tariffs imposed in July 2025. The group includes items subject only to the additional tariff of 40% and also products that accumulate the extra rate with the base rate of 10%.
According to the director of the Department of Statistics and Foreign Trade Studies, Herlon Brandão, the numbers indicate a gradual recovery in trade flow. “We are still seeing a reduction in exports, but they have been recovering over the months. This year, we surpassed US$3 billion after several months below that level,” he stated.
Chinese advance
Photo: Jonathan Campos
Conversely, Brazilian exports to China grew 32.51% in April, reaching US$11.610 billion, compared to US$8.763 billion in the same month of 2025. Imports from the Asian country also increased, rising 20.71%, from US$5.018 billion to US$6.054 billion.
The result guaranteed Brazil a trade surplus of US$5.56 billion with China in the fourth month of the year. From January to April, Brazilian exports to the Chinese market grew by 25.41%, totaling US$35.61 billion. Imports fell slightly by 0.41%, totaling US$23.96 billion. As a result, the Brazilian surplus with China in the period reached US$11.65 billion.
Oil prices fall
Photo: Vosmar Rosa/MPOR
The director of Secex also commented on the drop in Brazilian crude oil exports recorded last month. According to Herlon Brandão, the movement is related to the volatility of the international market and not to the export tax created by the government to finance the reduction in the price of diesel.
The measure was adopted amid a surge in international oil prices triggered by the war in Iran. "It's possible we'll see this increase again next month. So I don't believe it's possible to attribute it to the crude oil export tax," he said.
Brandão also stated that Brazil maintains its competitiveness in the oil sector due to low production costs and strong external demand, which could favor a recovery in exports as early as May.
In April, crude oil exports rose by more than 10% compared to April of last year, but the increase is related to a 23.7% rise in average prices, influenced by the war in the Middle East. The volume exported fell by 10.6% last month, according to Secex.
