Brazil's trade surplus exceeds expectations in March

BRASILIA, April 4 (Reuters) -

Brazil posted a higher-than-expected trade surplus in March, government data showed on Friday, boosted by a surge in coffee, beef, and soy exports.

Latin America's largest economy recorded a trade surplus of $8.2 billion for the month, surpassing the $7 billion expected in a Reuters poll of economists.

The result marked a 13.8% increase from the surplus seen in March last year, supported by a 5.5% rise in exports, to $29.2 billion, while imports grew at a slower pace of 2.6%, reaching $21 billion.

The biggest highlights were coffee shipments, which jumped 92.7% from a year earlier, followed by beef exports, up 40.1%.

Soy exports, despite a more modest 7% increase from a year earlier, remained by far the country's top-selling product, totaling $5.7 billion.

In the first quarter, however, the trade surplus fell 46%, as imports rose 13.7% on the back of a resilient economy, while exports remained largely stable.

The Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services projected on Friday that Brazil will record a $70.2 billion trade surplus this year, down from $74.2 billion in 2024. (Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)