The Argentine chamber of the steel industry, Acero Argentino (AA), reported the country’s crude steel production in March has reached 330,800 mt against 316,400 mt in February.
On a comparative basis, the production of HRC increased by 302.3 percent to 189,200 mt, the production of CRC increased by 90.6 percent to 88,300 mt, and the production of long products increased by 7.6 percent to 123,500 mt.
The sharp increase in the rolling activities reflected the return to operation of plants that have faced unscheduled stoppages.
When compared to March 2024, the numbers show crude steel production increasing by 37.0 percent, HRC production increasing by 53.6 percent, CRC production increasing by 46.8 percent, and long products production increasing by 41.5 percent.
In the civil construction sector, production declined by an estimated 0.6 percent from February, although increasing by 17.1 percent from March 2024.
The automotive sector production declined by 1 percent from February and by 2 percent from March 2024, while machinery and agriculture equipment potential sales remain showing good perspectives, linked to a promising crop expected for this year.
For domestic appliances, the demand was reduced due to increasing competition from imports, while the steel demand from sectors linked to the generation of energy has increased, reflecting the approval of incentives for large investments under the RIGI program.