Although
Brazil recorded a 12.4 percent fall in crude steel output during April, the country still holds the leading position in steel
production in Latin America.
Next are
Mexico,
Argentina and
Venezuela, according to the data released by the Brazilian Steelworks Institute (IBS).
The decline in steel
production in April is attributed to the furnace that stopped in the Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). However, if this fact isn't taken into consideration, the recorded
production level is the same as last year.
In January-April 2006 period, the crude steel
production also fell 10.2 percent to 9.6 million metric tons.
According to the IBS, steel sales to the domestic market rose 2.6 percent in April. On the other hand, external sales fell 6.6 percent.