In the first nine days of the month, sales totalled $ 10.065 billion, partly due to a rise in commodity sales of products such as soybean meal, meat (pork, beef and chicken) and tobacco.

Soybean meal saw a daily increase of 38.4 per cent in value ($33.9 million) and 5.4 per cent in volume (63,500 tons) and 31.3 per cent over the whole period of $ 533.1 compared to the average up to the second week of September last year.

Compared to August, the increases were 12.6 per cent, 7.8 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively.

The highest daily average in value over the period in fresh meat was the chicken, which saw a $33.4 million rise - an increase of 23.4 per cent compared to September 2011. The volume of chicken meat exports also rose by 25.3 per cent or 16,600 tons.

Sales of fresh pork rose by 69 per centin value and 86 per cent in volume.

Beef showed an increase in value of 31.2 per cent and 49.3 per cent in volume.

Agricultural imports for the period reached $ 8.391 billion and recorded daily performance of $932.3 million.