Brazil. The profits of the petrochemical company Braskem fell 88% in the first quarter, reaching US $ 4.7 million, which represents a great advance if you consider that in the last quarter of 2008 the company lost about US $ 1,000 million due to the fall in the price of the dollar.The company reported that the recovery in demand for thermoplastic resins boosted production up to 100% of installed capacity, which was described by the directives as a "historical level".
Similarly, the production of resins during the first three months of this year was 611,000 tons, with a growth of 2% compared to the last quarter of last year and a decrease of 13% compared to the first of 2008.
Exports of resins totaled 252,000 tons, with a growth of 106% compared to the first quarter of 2008. China was one of the main buyers of this type of product.
The company's revenue totaled US$1,481 million, 28% less than in the same period last year, while EBITDA fell 24% to US$215 million.
