Ukraine reports a decline in metals trade in the first half of 2015

Exports and imports of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in Ukraine declined significantly over six months, from January to June, this year.

Steel production in Ukraine has dropped significantly due to the ongoing political instability in the region. More importantly, imports and exports of steel products declined in the first half of this year.

Already last year, steel production in Ukraine fell to 27 million tons, which is almost 15 percent lower than the average annual production of 32 million tons, recorded for a long time.

During the first six months of this year, ferrous metal exports from Ukraine declined even more significantly than steel production. The drop in exports of steel products was 41 percent compared to the previous year. According to the latest statistics published by the State Tax Service of Ukraine, steel exports in January-June this year generated $ 4296 million. It should be noted that during the corresponding six-month period in 2014, the country exported ferrous metals in the amount of $ 7,281 million. In addition, imports of metal products to Ukraine fell sharply by 51 percent compared to the same period last year.

During the reporting period, the import and export of non-ferrous metals to the country also decreased significantly. For example, imports of aluminum products declined 30.6 percent year on year to $ 124.480 million during January-June 2015. Meanwhile, the export of aluminum decreased by almost 7 percent, which in monetary terms amounts to 59.42 million tons.

The Federation of Steel Producers of Ukraine is concerned about the shortage of scrap metal as a raw material for metallurgical enterprises and instructed the government to revise the limit for the export of ferrous scrap for the second half of this year. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Development and Trade Abromavicius, the Federation noted that the Ukrainian market is currently facing an acute shortage of scrap metal and the revision of restrictions on the export of ferrous scrap is urgently needed in the current situation.