According to the latest data released by the Brazilian Institute of Non-ferrous Metals (ICZ), the country's nickel production, which was 3,570 mt in September last year, amounted to 5,064 mt in September this year, down 0.9 percent compared to August. In the first nine months of this year, Brazilian nickel output totaled 49,198 mt, up 54.8 percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In the January-September period of this year, Brazil exported 69.6 percent of its total nickel output, while the country's nickel exports rose 80 percent compared to the first nine months of 2011, totaling 34,266 mt.
Meanwhile, in the first nine months of the current year nickel sales to the Brazilian domestic market including imports amounted to 14,289 mt, decreasing by 6.5 percent compared to January-September 2011.