Rio de Janeiro – Industrial output dropped in 14 out of 15 areas tracked by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in May from April this year. Monthly industry survey Pesquisa Industrial Mensal – Produção Física Regional, made public this Wednesday (11), shows that only Pará saw production go up during the month, by 9.2%, after having gone down 8.5% in April.
The IBGE said the drop was primarily due to a trucker strike in late May, which impacted production at industrial units across the country. Six states saw output drop by more than the national average of 10.9%: Mato Grosso (-24.1%), Paraná (-18.4%), Bahia (-15%), Santa Catarina (-15%), São Paulo (-11.4%) and Rio Grande do Sul (-11%).
Year-to-date through May, however, production increased in eight areas. The strongest hike was seen in Amazonas (17.9%). In the 12 months through May, output went up in 10 of 15 areas, with Amazonas in the lead again (10.4%).
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
