The Brazil Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) told local media on Monday that the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s largest steel producer, has been declining its industrial production.
“What we’ve seen, especially in [the state of] Minas Gerais, is that the situation is worsening. January of this year was a positive month for the industry, but since February there’s been retraction,” said Antonio Braz de Oliveira, from IBGE Minas Gerais.
In April this year, industrial activity in the state fell 4.9 percent year-over-year. From the 13 industries that were analyzed, eight showed retraction in the period, including the automotive (30.8 percent) and metals (10.4 percent) segments.
All this year, mineral and non-metallic products accounted for a growth of 4.3 percent in the activities of the Minas Gerais industry.