186 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1978-79 
 
continued its steady rise since the depressed level of 1971. The Government
was attempting to make Brazil a factor in the world tin market. Through CVRD,
it was planning to pool the activities of small privately owned tin mining
units operating in Roraima, Pará, and Goiás, and then
centralize
research and development costs, planning, and marketing. CVRD will reevaluate
Brazil's tin reserves. 
 The Minister of Mines and Energy authorized a study of the ramifications
of a reopening of the Rondonia tin district, the main producing area with
the only significant mechanized operations, to "garimpeiros" (individual
prospectors). About 4,000 ex-garimpeiros were reported to be unemployed and
pressuring to return to the tin district. 
 Companhia EstanIfera do Brasil (CESBRA), a Patino Group subsidiary, purchased
Philipp Brothers' 50% equity in Minera Brasiliense S/A (MIBRASA) for $5 million.
MIBRASA operates a washing plant at Santa Barbara and a dredge at Candeias
that produces about 100 tons of tin concentrate per month. CESBRA operates
the largest tin smelter in Brazil at Volta Redonda. The first bucket-wheel
suction dredge to be used for mining purposes in Brazil was purchased for
the Igarape Preto Mine in 1978 and began operations the following year. 
 In 1979 Brazil's steel industry consumed 2,241 tons of tin—a 12%
increase
over that of 1978—representing about 25% ~f national output. Exports
of refined tin were valued at $22 million in 1978 while imports of tin concentrate
primarily from Bolivia cost $26 million. 
 Titanium.—DNPM of the Ministry of Mines and Energy reported in
1978
a sharp increase of 430% in the measured reserves of titanium in the form
of anatase, an alteration product of titanium minerals, which has not been
discovered in commercial quantities elsewhere. The 303 million tons of ore
reported are located primarily in the State of Minas Gerais in the municipality
of Tapira (200 million tons) and Patrocinio (75 million tons). 
 Mineraçao Vale do Paranaiba S/A (VALEP), a phosphate producing
subsidiary
of CVRD, was developing the Tapira deposits, which consist of anatase in
association with phosphate, columbium, and rare-earth minerals. The major
product of VALEP's operations will be phosphate. VALEP was reportedly considering
construction near the 
ore deposits of a $100 million first-stage plant to produce 60,000 tons per
year of titanium dioxide pigment. 
 Titanio do Brasil S/A (TIBRAS), Brazil's only titanium pigment producer,
announced plans to double production at its Bahia plant to 50,000 tons per
year of pigment by 1982, which would meet Brazil's domestic demand estimated
at 50,000 tons per year. Currently the country must import about 28,000 tons
of pigments. In 1978 imports of the titanium mineral ilmenite, all from Australia,
amounted to about 56,000 tons. 
 Uranium.—(Refer to Mineral Fuels) 
 
NONMETALS 
 
 In its report covering 1978, DNPM reported substantial increases in the
reserves of several nonmetallic ores: kyanite-270%, agalmatolite-148%, lithium
(amblygonite)133%, barite-114%, feldspar-55%, diatomite-50%, calcite-45%,
talc-35%, and graphite-35%. 
 Barite.—Imco Services began producing from its processing facility
in Araxá, Minas Gerais, utilizing a byproduct barite from Companhia
Brasileria de Metalurgia e Mineração-CBMM, a ferrocolumbium
producer. 
 Cement.—Brazilian cement plant programs remained active and conversion
from costly fuel oil to low-quality coal challenged the industry. During
1978 there were 54 cement plants onstream and six clinker grinding stations,
including the two at Itaipfl Dam under construction. Gross capacity in 1978
was 24.7 million tons per year, up from 21.6 million tons in 1977 and the
Sindicato Nacional da Industria do Cimento (SNIC) forecasted a capacity of
25.6 million tons per year in 1979 and 27.1 million tons in 1980. Domestic
consumption of cement in 1980 was expected to rise to 28.8 million tons,
requiring imports of 1.7 million tons. 
 Lone Star Industries Inc. and La Farge S.A., leading cement industries in
the United States and France, respectively, entered into an agreement to
combine their cement operations in Brazil and construct a 700,000-ton-per-year
plant at Cantagalo northeast of Rio de Janeiro. The $125 million plant will
be operated by Cimento Maua S/A, controlled by Companhia Nacional de Cimento
Portland owned 52% by Lafarge and 48% by Lone Star. 
 Fertilizer Materials.—Although Brazil has embarked on an ambitious
program to increase its capacity to produce phosphate rock and potash from
domestic sources, it remained very dependent on foreign sup