Brazil was
known for having a positive trade balance, but over the last few years, the
country has been experiencing the opposite trend. In the following article we
will take a look at the top 20 importing companies in Brazil.
By Marcelo
Possato, The Brazil Business
Overview
According to
the World Trade Organization, Brazilian imports amounted to more than
BR 110 billion in the first semester of 2014. Despite the decrease in
relation to the previous year, when the import rate reached BR 118 billion in
the first semester, the value remains considerably high. Brazil was 21st in the
worldwide ranking of importers last year.
By the end
of 2014, Brazil had a deficit of BR 4 billion in the trade balance, what is
uncommon for the country, which had an average of BR 19 billion of surplus
between 2009 and 2013.
The top
20 Importing Companies in Brazil
All the
companies that appear on this list have a revenue higher than BRL 100 million
per year. The following ranking published in 2014, is based on data
byMinistério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria e Comércio Exterior, which is the
Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
- Petrobras - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 16,43% Petrobras is the largest oil company in Brazil. The main shareholder of the company is the Brazilian Government
- Samsung Eletronica da Amazônia- Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,72% Samsung is a subsidiary of the South Korean company. The company operates in the field of information technology, telecommunications and household appliances
- Braskem S/A- Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,18% Braskem is the largest chemical company in Brazil
- Cisa Trading S/A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,11% Cisa is related to aeronautics in Brazil. The company operates in many areas such as automotive, aeronautic, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and technological
- Toyota do Brasil - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,09%, Toyota is a subsidiary of the Japanese company The company imports cars and car parts
- Embraer S.A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,02%, Embraer is a Brazilian conglomerate that manufactures aero-planes. The company is ranked 4th amongst the producers of airplanes worldwide
- LG Electronics of Brazil - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 1,00%, LG Brasil is a subsidiary of the South-Korean company. The company imports electronics parts
- Ford Motor Company Brasil Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,87% Ford is originally from the United States. The company imports cars
- Flextronics International Tecnologia Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,85% Flextronics is originally from Cingapura and manufactures electronic products
- Yara Brasil Fertilizantes S.A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,67% Yara is originally from Norway but merged in 2013 with Brazil´s Bunge (another fertilizer manufacturer) creating Yara Brasil Fertilizantes. The company imports fertilizers and chemical products
- Volkswagen do Brasil - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,62%, The company imports cars from Germany
- Syngenta Proteção de Cultivos Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,58%, The company operates in agribusiness Syngenta imports chemical products and seeds
- GE Celma Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,57%, GE Celma is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and the company’s core business is the repair and sales of aircraft turbines in Brazil and worldwide
- General Motors do Brasil Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,55%, GM has continued to be the 3rd best-selling car brand in Brazil during the last 3 years, The company imports cars from USA
- Basf S.A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,53%, Basf imports chemical products from Germany, The company owns Suvinil, the largest Brazilian paint manufacturer
- Bayer S.A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,47%. The company operates in both the chemical and pharmaceutical fields, but also works with innovative materials, health care and agribusiness. Bayer imports chemical and technological products from Germany
- Renault do Brasil S.A - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,46%. The company imports cars from France
- Fiat Automóveis Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,46%, Fiat imports cars from Turin, Italy. It is the leader in Brazil in terms of car sales volume
- Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,45%, Mercedes-Benz imports cars from Stuttgart, Germany
- Fertilizantes Heringer Ltda. - Participation in the Brazilian trade balance: 0,41%. The company is located in the state of Espírito Santo. Fertilizantes Heringer operates in the agribusiness field and imports chemical products and fertilizers from Germany
It is evident that the chemical,
automotive and electronic sectors fill most places on the list. This reflects
the strength of these business segments in Brazil today.