According to the latest data released by the Brazilian Institute of Non-ferrous Metals (ICZ), the country's nickel production, which was 3,942 mt in May last year, amounted to 6,635 mt in May this year, up 28.8 percent compared to April. In the first five months of this year, Brazilian nickel output totaled 29,415 mt, up 73.7 percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In the January-May period of this year, Brazil exported 66.13 percent of its total nickel output, while the country's nickel exports more than doubled compared to the first five months of 2011, totaling 19,453 mt.
Meanwhile, in the first five months of the current year nickel sales to the Brazilian domestic market including imports amounted to 8,090 mt, increasing by 21.5 percent compared to January-May 2011.