Rio, 18 (Agência Brasil - ABr) – Brazilian steel production rose 4.9% in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, rising from 13,479,000 tons to 14,136,000 tons. The president of the Brazilan Steel Institute, Jose Campos, says the forecast for the year is to reach an average growth rate of 6%, which would mean between 28 million and 28.3 million tons of raw steel produced. (AB)