São Paulo – Brazilian industrial output was down 2.7% in 2012 from 2011. According to information released this Friday (1st) by the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE in the Portuguese acronym), productive activity declined in 17 out of 27 sectors, and for 59.5% of the 755 products covered.
The poorest performing sector was the auto industry, whose activity dropped by 13.5%. Electronics, communication devices and equipment output was also down 13.5%, as well as office machinery and computer equipment.
Machinery and equipment industry activity was down 3.6% and food industry output was down 2.1%. On the other hand, output was up by 4.1% in oil refinement and ethanol production, 3.4% in chemicals, and 8.5% in other transport equipment.
It was the first downshift in industrial output since 2009, when “the industry was still in the heavier aftermath of the international crisis,” according to an IBGE press release. Despite the drop in industrial output in 2012, production in December remained at the same level as in November.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
