Brazilian copper demand seen growing more than 10%

 Brazilian demand for copper products is set to grow more than 10% in 2011 despite government moves to stabilize the country's economy, according to Brazilian copper producers' association Sindicel.

Sixty-three percent of Sindicel's members--who together represent more than 90% of the Brazilian copper-products processing sector--foresee copper sales in Brazil growing more than 10% this year compared to 2010, Sindicel said in a statement Monday.

Brazilians used some 360,000 metric tons of copper in 2010, a jump from the 300,000 tons consumed in 2009, when the market sank amid the economic crisis, Sindicel president Sergio Aredes said in a recent interview. However, in 2011, with expected usage of at least 400,000 tons, consumption is seen exceeding the pre-crisis level of 380,000 tons in 2008, he said.

Around 270,000 tons of the copper processed and sold last year in Brazil was imported, mainly in cathode form, according to Brazil's sole copper smelter, Paranapanema SA .

Copper usage is seen growing as the country invests in infrastructure to prepare for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Demand for the metal will grow particularly in the electrical energy and telecommunications sectors, Aredes said Monday.