BNamericas quoted Mr Ramiro Vargas president of Paraguayan center for metallurgical industries Cime as saying that it wants to restore production levels at local steelmaker Acepar.

He added that "We want to revive the factory, which is going bankrupt."

He said that the company is currently buying iron ore from Indian firm Jindal Steel & Power from the El Mutún deposit in Bolivia. This is a very economical option. However, production and the plant are still being neglected. He added that "So Cime is concerned and is working to see if we can restore production at the plant."

In September 2011, Mr Néstor Méndez GM of Acepar told BNamericas that the company was still in the process of recuperating production levels after a six month strike.

He added that "Reactivation is difficult after such a long strike. We've had a hard time with the recovery process, but around two months ago things started to return to normal."

Under normal conditions, Acepar produces 8,000 tonnes per months.

(Sourced from www.bnamericas.com)