In March this year, Turkey's billet and bloom import volume increased by 11.38 percent year on year to 219,226 metric tons, up 17.91 percent compared to the previous month, according to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The value of these imports totaled $117 million, up 5.25 percent year on year and increasing by 13.73 percent compared to the previous month.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter this year Turkey imported 671,948 mt of billet and bloom, down 11.84 percent, with a value of $365.27million, decreasing by 14.79 percent, both year on year.
In the first quarter, Turkey imported 403,619 mt of billet and bloom from Ukraine, 1.10 percent lower year on year, with Ukraine ranking first among Turkey's main billet and bloom import sources, ahead of Russia which supplied 208,856 mt in the given period, down 1.16 percent year on year. Meanwhile, in March this year Ukraine was also the leading source for Turkey's billet and bloom imports, supplying 119,308 mt, down 15.69 percent year on year.
Turkey's top 10 billet and bloom import sources in January-March this year are as follows:
| Country | Amount (mt) | |||
| Jan-Mar. 2014 | Jan-Mar. 2013 | Mar.14 | Mar.13 | |
| Ukraine | 403,619 | 408,102 | 119,308 | 141,509 |
| Russia | 208,856 | 211,303 | 67,586 | 18,628 |
| Georgia | 22,701 | 9,176 | 10,451 | 3,343 |
| Serbia | 17,741 | 18,769 | 9,593 | - |
| Bosna-Herz. | 10,989 | - | 10,989 | - |
| Germany | 2,621 | 16,876 | 873 | 764 |
| Belarus | 2,286 | 55,581 | - | 20,383 |
| Egypt | 1,923 | 4,606 | - | - |
| Brazil | 266 | 83 | 149 | 29 |
| Italy | 256 | 431 | 85 | 29 |
Turkey's main billet and bloom sources on country basis in the first quarter this year are presented below:
