Panel SA: Construction companies from SP join the movement of imported steel

Construction companies associated with SindusCon-SP (the civil construction union) began to organize themselves to place orders for steel imports.

The import movement of the product has been accelerating in the sector after the tax reduction for two types of rebar that come from abroad.

According to Odair Senra, president of SindusCon-SP, the rise in the prices of inputs such as steel and cement since last year has generated an economic-financial imbalance in contracts, which makes the international market more attractive in view of the recent reduction in tribute.

Last month, shortly after the government’s decision to cut the rate, CBIC, another entity in the sector, in partnership with a construction cooperative in Santa Catarina, started a movement to make joint purchases of steel from Turkey.

SindusCon-SP states that Brazilian production of long steel is concentrated and lacks competition, which puts pressure on prices in the country.

For Senra, there is a lack of an industrial policy that encourages more steel manufacturers to settle in Brazil, increasing competition and generating more jobs and income. “While that doesn’t happen, and national manufacturers don’t stop raising their prices, the way to import is open”, says the direction of SindusCon-SP.

Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Gilmara Santos