Brazilian miner Vale produced 67.7 million metric tons of iron ore in the first quarter of 2025, down 4.5% from a year earlier, the company said on Tuesday in its sales and output report.

One of the world’s largest iron ore producers, Vale said heavy rainfall impacted production in its Brazilian Northern mining complex.

The weaker first-quarter output had been expected, Vale said, and it reaffirmed its outlook to produce between 325 million tons and 335 million tons of iron ore in 2025, as it also began the ramp-up of mining projects VGR1 and Capanema.

Sales of iron ore rose 3.6% in the quarter year-on-year to 66.1 million tons, the report showed, with Vale attributing the increase to supply from inventories, while also noting it has been prioritizing medium-grade products given market conditions.