South America: Aluminum production sees 8% rise in June

By Vakkas Dogantekin

ANKARA (AA) - Primary aluminum production in South America increased from 88,000 tons to 95,000 tons, registering a nearly 8% year-on-year increase in June 2019, according to the International Aluminum Institute (IAI).

In the first half of 2019, total production of the metal dropped an 15.57% annually to 515,000 tons, down from 610,000 in the first half of 2018. South America’s full yearly primary aluminum production for 2018 stood at 1.164 million tons, IAI data showed.

Global primary aluminum production was recorded at 15.7 million tons in the first quarter this year.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, most global aluminum production comes from Asia.

Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia top the list of biggest aluminum producers in South America, despite major declines in their overall output.