Houston Retains Top Spot in Container Trade With Brazil

Houston has maintained its position as Brazil’s largest U.S. seaborne trade partner by value and weight, newly compiled statistics show.

From 2010 to 2012, the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) handled a total of 311,314 twenty-foot equivalent units of trade with Brazil. In 2012, PHA’s market share was

17 percent of the total trade with Brazil, according to statistics compiled from the Journal of Commerce’s PIERS data.

Brazil is South America’s largest economy and has shown potential for further growth. Houston’s trade with Brazil has increased due to U.S. manufactured goods, such as synthetic resins, being exported out of Houston. Further trade growth could be expected, based on planned expansion projects in Houston that will increase ethylene production for export.

Machine parts, motor cars, plastic resins, coffee and granite are among Brazil’s main imports and exports with the Port of Houston Authority.

In addition, Brazil is Texas’ fourth-largest export market. The Port of Houston's economic activity helps keep Texas the nation's top exporting state. For the past 11 years, Texas has outpaced the rest of the nation in exports. In 2012, Texas exports totaled $265 billion, up by 5.4 percent from 2011, according to annual trade data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.