Domestic sales fall 4.04% in the first half, says Abiquim

SÃO PAULO-domestic sales of industrial chemicals presented 4.04% fall in the first half compared with the same period last year, according to the Brazilian chemical industry Association (Abiquim). The measure of demand, apparent consumption nationally, also had a fall, of 1.9%. On the other hand, production grew up 3.23 percent, pulled by exports, which had 21.9 percent advance in the first half, also facilitated by the Exchange.
"Even if the basis for comparison of the first six months of last year was weak, due to downtime for maintenance, this result was made possible by the gain in market share in foreign markets," says the Director of Economics and statistics of Abiquim, Fatima Giovanna Coviello Ferreira, through the note.
Capacity utilisation showed 79% average in the first six months of the year, while the level of normality, even as the Abiquim, is the 90% 87.
The fall in domestic demand in the chemical industry reflects the retraction of economic activity, primarily in the automotive and construction chain. "For the very short term, there are no signs of chemistry that the internal market is beginning a recovery process or that have already reached the bottom," says the Director. Imports, by volume, fell 13.9%.