Despite the high imports of steel products this year by the Brazilian market, national companies estimate that the share of foreign material in apparent consumption should return to previous levels next year. According to the president of Usiminas, Sergio Leite, the normal level of participation of imported products in domestic consumption is in the range of 11%. For Leite, the big problem is that this imported steel is produced by countries that do not have symmetry with the Brazilian market, which causes unfair competition. “ Until August, according to Instituto Aço Brasil, imports of steel products totaled 3.5 million tons, an increase of 163.9% compared to the same period last year. Consumption reached 18.8 million tons in the first eight months of 2021, an increase of 41.7% compared to the same period in 2020. The president of Aperam Brasil, Frederico Ayres, stated that the reduction in the import tax rate for steel products being demanded by some consumer sectors, such as civil construction, is out of consensus. “The market is already supplied. Talking about the reduction of the tax rate as an outlet for supply is nonsense. Stocks are replenished and now what the sector needs is to grow, mainly in exports,” added Ayres.
Sources: Valor Econômico/Datamar News