Brazil: slow around the first turn

Based on a survey by the trade association Abiplast, in mid-2014 the Brazilian conversion industry (as well as the manufacturing industry generally) has registered a downturn of 1.9% in production of plastic articles with respect to the first half of 2013, just barely exceeding 3 million tons. There was also a drop of 0.7% in domestic demand coupled with a paradoxical 5.4% increase in imports, while exports fell off by 7.6%.

This stagnation obviously brought negative effects on employment in the industry and Abiplast does not have a rosy forecast for the upcoming months, partially as a result of high production costs.