Crude steel output in South America reached 3.99 million metric tons in April 2007, up 9.2 percent from 3.65 million metric tons recorded in April 2006.
Brazil, the region's largest steel producer, saw its crude steel output rise 12.1 percent to 2.71 million metric tons in April, while Venezuela saw production expand 11.7 percent to 465,000 metric tons.
Argentina's steel production dropped 1.4 percent to 473,000 metric tons. In addition, crude steel output in Chile amounted to 140,000 metric tons, down five percent year on year.
Colombia's steel production rose 2.6 percent to 100,000 metric tons. Meanwhile, Peru recorded crude steel production of 75,000 metric tons in April, up 2.2 percent from the same month of 2006.
Paraguay reported crude steel output of 10,000 metric tons last month, down one percent. Crude steel output in Ecuador rose 47.1 percent to 10,000 metric tons, while in Uruguay it jumped 456 percent to 5,000 metric tons.