Brazil's Aluminum Output Falls 9% In Aug To 129,400 Tons

RIO DE JANEIRO -(Dow Jones)- Brazil's output of primary aluminum was 129,400 metric tons in August, 9% lower than the same month last year, Brazil's Aluminum producers and manufacturers' association, ABAL said Wednesday. Production from January through August totaled 1.029 million tons, down 7% from the same period in 2008, ABAL said in a statement. ABAL also forecast 2009 primary aluminum production would likely reach 1.54 million tons, down 7.1% from last year. In late August, ABAL forecast 2009 domestic consumption of 984,900 tons of aluminum, down 10.4% compared to last year. Brazilian first-half aluminum exports totaled $1.53 billion, while imports reached just $314 million, ABAL said. ABAL also forecast in August that aluminum exports would reach $3.08 billion in 2009, while imports would likely total $552 million. -By John Kolodziejski; Dow Jones Newswires; 55-21-2586-8086; john.kolodziejski@dowjones.com