Ductile pipes imported from China will be used for the on-land pipeline of approximately 23,000 meters to be constructed in Turkey as a part of the Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project that will transfer water supply for drinking and irrigation from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Ahmet K. Erciyas, chairman of the Turkish Steel Pipe Producers Association (CEBID), said that using imported pipes which are more expensive than the local production pipes is unacceptable, while the locally produced ductile pipes are easily procurable. Mr. Erciyas underlined that the ductile cast iron pipes to be used for the water supply pipeline are easy to find in Turkey, adding that it is also interesting for the contractor company to prefer cast iron pipes instead of longer lasting steel pipes which are commonly used in similar projects.
The CEBID chairman also pointed out the negative effect of unnecessary imports on the trade deficit which is one of the most important economic problems facing Turkey, going on to say, "It is not acceptable to import pipes from China, our competitor in the global arena, at more expensive prices than domestic ones."
The first batch of 11,000 meters of ductile pipes from China arrived at Mersin SEKA port in November. Meanwhile, the import ductile pipe prices stand at $680/meter while domestic offers are at $415/meter.