SAO PAULO, Jan. 30, 2009 (RISI) – Brazil’s Votorantim Celulose e Papel (VCP) will take market related downtime during the first quarter of this year in order to balance pulp supply and demand. The company plans to curtail 27,000 tonnes of pulp in the period, which represents approximately eight days of production.

According to VCP, the decision to reduce production is due to lower demand foreseen for the first quarter. Pulp inventories are unbalanced as a result of weak demand during the fourth quarter of last year.

At the beginning of November 2008, VCP took a seven days market related downtime at is Jacareí mill, in São Paulo, reducing production by 28,000 tonnes. Besides VCP, many other pulp manufacturers took downtime at the end of last year and the initiative generated positive results in the market, mainly in China, where exceeding stocks have already been consumed.

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