South America alumina production grows

South American production of alumina rose 2.36% year-on-year to 1.09Mt in November, according to the the International Aluminium Institute (IAI).

IAI's South America figures are for Brazil, Jamaica, Suriname and Venezuela, the region's only producers of alumina, the key input for aluminum.

Global alumina production totaled 9.44Mt last month, down from 10.5Mt in the same month 2016, IAI said. Output from China, the world's largest alumina producer, reached 4.86Mt in November, compared to 5.88Mt in the same period last year.

South America's output in the last 12 months was 12.7Mt.

In Brazil, the most important alumina producers are Alcan, Alcoa, BHP Billiton, Novelis, Norsk Hydro and CBA. The country is the region's largest alumina producer.