Production in the Colombian manufacturing industry (excluding coffee processing) decreased by 1.3 percent in September this year compared to the same month of 2011, as announced by the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE).
In the first nine months of the current year, Colombia's basic iron and steel production increased by 17.4 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Meanwhile, in September this year, Colombia's iron and steel exports amounted to 27,404 mt, decreasing by 10 percent compared to September 2011, while in the January-September period of the year the country's iron and steel exports reached to 253,858 mt, rising 13.6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
In September this year, Colombia's iron and steel exports value fell by 23.2 percent compared to the same month of the previous year and was down 16.4 percent compared to August, coming to $91.5 million, while the country's ferronickel export value decreased 27 percent compared to the same month of the previous year and was down 14.6 percent month on month, to $66.5 million.
In the first nine months of this year, Colombia's iron and steel export value rose by 12.5 percent year on year to $893 million, while ferronickel export value rose by 12.8 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching $673.1 million.