The industrial production in Brazil was up 18 percent in the first four months of 2010, compared with the same period a year earlier, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said in a study on Tuesday.
In April, the industrial production fell 0.7 percent compared with the previous month, the first decrease in five months. However, the figure was up 17.4 percent compared with the same period in 2009.
From May 2009 to April 2010, the industrial production was up 2.3 percent from the previous 12-month period, the first positive figure registered since January 2009, according to the study.
The industrial production rose in all categories in the first four months of 2010, the study said.
The production of capital goods increased 28.7 percent compared with the same period last year, while the production of intermediate goods was up 19.2 percent, the durable goods' production up 26.4 percent, and the production of non-durable goods rose 8.7 percent.
According to the study, 25 out of 27 sectors registered a production expansion this year.
The best results were registered in motor vehicles (36.4 percent), machinery and equipments (43.5 percent), and metal products (39.9 percent).
The only sectors which registered a production fall in the period were those of tobacco (12.2 percent) and transportation equipment (9.1 percent)./.