By Lise Alves, Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Industrial production fell by 0.6 percent in May registering the third consecutive negative result for the year, according to data from the IBGE (Brazilian Statistical Bureau). The accumulated retraction from January to May is now at 1.6 percent.
According to the IBGE, the decline of industrial production from April to May was mainly due to the negative results of 15 of the 24 industrial segments surveyed, among them oil derivatives and biofuels (-3.8 percent), automotive production segment (-3.9 percent), metallurgy (-4.0 percent), IT equipment and electronic products (-5.0 percent) and electric products and machinery (-2.1 percent).
The survey shows that among the segments which registered a growth in industrial production are mining (1.4 percent), the food industry (1.0 percent), and tobacco (18.5 percent).
Consumption of durable goods retreated by 3.6 percent in May in comparison to April, while capital goods fell by 2.6 percent during the same period, according to the bureau. The segment of semi and non-durable goods was the only one registering a growth of production in May, of 1.0 percent.
In comparison to May of 2013, the survey shows that the retraction in industry was of 3.2 percent. In the accumulated total of the last twelve months, however, industry registers a slight growth of 0.2 percent.
Another survey, conducted by CNI (National Confederation of Industries) shows that industrial activity in Brazil declined in May, with hours worked in the industry retreating by 0.4 percent, employment in the sector decreasing by 0.3 percent and the used capacity level declining to 80.7 percent.
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