Argentine polymer and synthetic rubber output fell 15.3% in July compared with the year-earlier period, the state statistics office Indec said Friday.
Production of these petrochemicals also was down 23.3% compared with June, Indec said in a report that did not give actual volumes.
For the first seven months of the year, output slipped 3.6% from a year ago.
Indec said chemical production fell 38.2% in July compared with the year-earlier period and 21.1% compared with June. Output in January-July was down 11.4% compared with the same period of 2012.
July output of urea and other chemicals for fertilizers rose 12.7% compared with July 2012 and was down 1.8% compared with June. January-July production rose 6.1% compared with the year-earlier period.
Production of industrial gases rose 4.6% in July on the year and 10.2% compared with June. In the first seven months of this year, output fell 2.7% on the year.
Production of plastic goods by compounders, an indicator of demand for polymers, rose 5.4% in July compared with July 2012 and was up 0.6% compared with June. In the January-July period, output was down 3.9% on year.
Production of tires, a sign of demand for synthetic rubber and its polymer feedstock, rose 5.2% in July on the year and 13.5% compared with June. Output in the first seven months of 2013 was up 13.9% compared with the January-July 2012 period.
Leading petrochemical producers in the country include state-run YPF and units of LyondellBasell, Dow Chemical, Petrobras and Solvay Group.
They used an average of 65.8% of installed capacity in July, down from 72% in July 2012 and 70.3% in June.
