According to the preliminary data, in January-April 2009 Ukraine registered a decrease of 77.34 percent year on year in its scrap exports to 145,000 mt, including 50,200 mt exported in April, the head of the Ukrainian Scrap Metal Association Valentin Kulichenko has stated.
"The exports are limited due to the falling demand for steel products. Currently we are shipping more to Turkey and Moldova," Mr. Kulychenko said, adding that since August last year prices of steel products have fallen by 67.7 percent, while scrap prices have dropped by about 66-75 percent. "In other words, the price situation in both markets is the same," he said.
According to the data issued by the Ukrainian association of metal producers Metallurgprom, during the first four months of 2009 scrap deliveries to the Ukrainian steel mills went down by 25.5 percent year on year to 1.171 million mt. In April 2009, scrap deliveries to local steelmakers amounted to 260,000 mt, i.e. 63 percent of their estimated needs. Meanwhile, during April the mills' scrap inventories decreased by 30,000 mt, amounting to 125,000 mt on May 1.