RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's industrial output increased 1.1 percent in 2018, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced Friday.
According to IBGE, though the annual figures were positive, the industrial sector grew at a lower pace than it was registered in 2017, when production increased 2.5 percent.
In December, industrial output in Brazil was up 0.2 percent compared to that of November, but fell 3.6 percent compared to that of the same period in 2017.
Almost all categories registered a rise in industrial output in 2018, IBGE said. Capital goods were up 7.4 percent, while production of intermediate goods was up 0.4 percent, and production of durable goods was up 7.6 percent. Only output of non-durable consumption goods was down 0.3 percent last year.
As for sectors of the industry, 13 out of the 26 sectors monitored by IBGE registered a production hike last year.
The most significant positive impact was that of the automotive sector, whose production rose 12.6 percent in 2018. Other sectors also helped boost the general indicator, such as metallurgy, whose production rose 4 percent, pharmaceutical products (6.1 percent), machinery (3.4 percent), and oil byproducts (1 percent).
The most significant negative impact in the general indicator was the food sector, whose output fell 5.1 percent. The clothing sector's output fell 3.3 percent, and production of shoes and leather products was down 2.3 percent.
