Steel output, foreign sales fall in Brazil

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.