Industrial production registers third consecutive monthly decline.
The IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) recorded a 0,9% drop from April to May; the main negative impacts came from the automotive and food sectors.
Agency Brazil - Brazilian industrial production decreased by 0,9% from April to May. This is the third consecutive negative result in this type of comparison. Compared to May 2011, the drop was even more intense, at 4,3%, representing the ninth consecutive negative result. The reduction between the months of May of the two years is the largest since September 2009, when industrial production fell by 7,6%. The data was released this Tuesday, June 3rd, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). According to the survey, from January to May the sector accumulated a drop of 3,4%.
Industrial production fell in 14 of the 17 sectors surveyed by IBGE in May compared to the previous month. The main negative impacts were observed in the automotive sector, which registered a 4,5% drop after accumulating a 22,7% expansion in the previous three months; and in the food sector (-3,4%).
Also showing a decrease from one month to the next were the industries of electronic materials, appliances and communications equipment (-10,9%); basic metallurgy (-2,4%); pulp, paper and paper products (-3,0%); other chemical products (-1,0%) and footwear and leather goods (-5,3%).
On the other hand, among the activities that registered expansion, the following stand out: metal products (13,2%), extractive industries (1,5%), rubber and plastics (2,6%), machinery and equipment (1,2%), and petroleum refining and alcohol production (0,9%).
Compared to the same period last year, when industrial production was 4,3% lower, there was a decline in 17 of the 27 activities surveyed. The main negative influence came from the automotive sector (-16,8%).
Other negative contributions were made by food (-6,1%), electronic materials, appliances and communications equipment (-24,3%) and basic metallurgy (-5,8%).