Brazil's government raises 2008 exports target

Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:02pm EDT
BRASILIA, July 11 (Reuters) - Brazil's government raised its export target for this year to $190 billion from $180 billion, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Friday.
The move followed a 24.8 percent rise in exports in the first half of 2008 compared to the same period last year to $90.645 billion.
Brazil's current account balance this year swung from a surplus to a deficit as imports grew faster than exports. (Reporting by Daniela Machado; Writing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by James Dalgleish)