RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Industrial prices increased by 1.94% in April this year compared to the previous month. Compared to February, this percentage represented a decrease when prices increased by 3.12%.
The cumulative rate for the last 12 months was 18%. So far this year, the indicator has reached 6.94%. The data are included in the Producer Price Index (IPP), published today (2) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
According to the indicator, the four largest changes were observed in the extractive industries (-11.54%), oil refining and biofuels (6.57%), pharmaceuticals (6.51%), and metals (6%).
The most significant impacts were in oil refining and biofuels (0.80 percentage points), extractive industries (-0.70 percentage points), other chemical products (0.45 percentage points), and food (0.44 percentage points).
The head of the IBGE’s Analysis and Methodology Department, Alexandre Brandão, reported that the March result of 3.12% was the highest since the same period in 2021. At that time, a value of 4.63 percent was recorded.
April’s index is lower, although it is the second-highest of the year, and if the previous month’s result is disregarded, it is only lower than that of October 2021, which recorded 2.26%.
“The fall in prices in the extractive industries was decisive in the slowdown in April compared to March. Both crude oil and iron ore, the two main products of the sector, showed a negative change due to the fluctuations in international prices and the appreciation of the real.
On the other hand, in the processing industry, there was an increase in prices: in March by 2.66% and in April by 2.81%,” he added.
With information from Agencia Brasil