According to the results of March 2023, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased the export of semi-finished products by 25.5% compared to the previous month - up to 86.9 thousand tons. Producers' income from exports increased by 24.5% over the month to $45.2 million. This is evidenced by the data of the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
Compared to March 2022, in March 2023, metallurgical enterprises of Ukraine reduced their revenue from the sale of semi-finished products by 19%. In physical terms, exports decreased by 8.7%.
According to the results of January-March 2023, Ukraine exported 194.47 thousand tons of semi-finished steel products worth $102.25 million. The revenue of metallurgists from the export of slabs and billets decreased by 83.8% compared to the same period in 2022, and the supply of products - by 81.4%.
The main importers of semi-finished products from Ukraine in January-March 2023 were Poland (43.51% of deliveries in monetary terms), the Dominican Republic (14.25%) and Bulgaria (11.23%).
Note that in March 2023, Ukrainian metallurgists increased the production of rolled products by 29 .9% compared to February 2023 - up to 434 thousand tons. Pig iron production increased by 32% over the month, to 466,000 tons, and steel output, by 24.3%, to 527,000 tons.
Low production and exports of products of the mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine with logistical problems, unfavorable global market conditions, as well as the destruction due to hostilities of the country's two largest enterprises - Azovstal and MMK. Ilyich in Mariupol.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, Europe became the only market for Ukrainian products. At the same time, it is difficult and expensive to deliver goods by rail. The expenses of metallurgists for the shipment of rolled products to customers have increased by at least 2 times, and the demand for products is low due to unfavorable market conditions. The shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russian troops, which forced metallurgists to reduce and stop production in order to maintain capacity, was added to the main problems.
In early 2023, the situation in the industry stabilized, as demand for steel and steel raw materials began to resume, and shelling of the energy system Ukraine have become increasingly rare. Against this background, metallurgical plants began to restore suspended capacities and increase production, but to reach pre-war levels, the blockade of seaports is needed.
At the end of 2022, the export of semi-finished products from Ukraine decreased by 72% compared to 2021 - to 1 .89 million tons. In monetary terms, the export of semi-finished products over the past year fell by 70.9% to $1.19 billion. The main importers of Ukrainian semi-finished products in 2022 were Bulgaria (25.55%), Poland (13.97%) and Italy (12.13%).
