Turkiye imported 31.36 thousand tons of pig iron from Ukraine in January

Steel enterprises of Turkiye in January 2023 increased the import of pig iron from Ukraine by 69.6% compared to the same period last year – up to 31.36 thousand tons. This is evidenced by the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute, informs SteelOrbis.

In general, Turkiye imported 103.37 thousand tons of pig iron in a month, which is 35.6% more compared to the same period in 2022, and 40% more compared to December 2022. The total value of imports of these products in this period decreased by 3.9% y/y – to $46.09 million. At the same time, compared to December 2022, it increased by 39.5%.

The main supplier of pig iron to Turkiye in January 2023 remained the Russian Federation. In this period, Russian exports of these products to the country increased by 43.1% y/y – up to 71.75 thousand tons. Second place was taken by Ukraine, and China came in third with a small amount of imports.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2022, in comparison with 2021, steel enterprises of Turkiye reduced import of pig iron from Ukraine by 46.7% – to 157.55 thousand tons. The decrease in imports of Ukrainian-made pig iron is mainly related to the war in Ukraine and the blockade of Ukrainian seaports, which makes the traditional way of delivering products to customers impossible. In total, in 2022, Turkiye imported 1.35 million tons of pig iron, which is 13.3% more than in 2021.

Also, Turkiye in February reduced steel production by 19.2% m/m – to 2.1 million tons. Compared to February 2022, Turkish steelmakers reduced steel production by 28.9% in February 2023.