Agência Brasil
Rio – According to the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in April, output was up in 12 out of the 14 states surveyed, compared to April 2004. Out of 20 economic segments surveyed, 17 showed an increase in output. The survey also found that in seven states industrial output was higher than the national average, which was 6.3%. The highest growth was in Amazonas (21.8%), in the north of the country. Only two states had negative growth: Pernambuco, in the northeast (-1.5%), and Rio Grande do Sul, in the south (-3.9%).
In an explanatory note the IBGE reports that growth was boosted by strong performances in the electronic and communications equipment sectors. For example, cell phone production in the free zone of Manaus, Amazonas, rose 36.7%.
The auto sector in São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, also turned in a stellar performance with production up 7%, most of it for export (the state of São Paulo makes 40% of all Brazilian vehicles).
There were also sharp rises in production in the pharmaceutical sector (up 20.5%) and machinery and equipment (up12.4%).
This was the 18th consecutive IBGE survey that has registered growth in industrial production.
