In the first half of the current year, steel product imports of North African countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, from Turkey amounted to 3.298 million metric tons, increasing by 367.49 percent year on year, totaling a value of US$1.806 billion, up 152.98 percent, compared to the same period of 2008, according to Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (IMMIB) statistics.
In the first six months of 2009, the most common steel product imported by the countries in question from Turkey was steel bars, including rebar, in which Turkey is one of the world's most competitive players in the international market. Turkey exported 2.394 million metric tons of steel bars to North Africa in the period in question, up 2,300 percent year on year, totaling a value of $1.084 billion, up 1,238 percent compared to the value in the same period of the previous year. Turkey's exports of steel bars to North Africa in the first half of 2009 corresponded to 44 percent of total Turkish steel bar exports in this period and to 72.6 percent of total steel products exported from Turkey to North Africa. In particular, Egypt and Libya increased their Turkish steel bar imports considerably in the period in question, by 10,593 percent and 2,314 percent respectively, both compared to H1 2008.
In January-June 2009, North African countries imported from Turkey 163,809 metric tons of steel billet, 295,163 metric tons of steel pipes and tubes, including fittings, 4,000 mt of stranded wire and ropes, 144,441 metric tons of wire rod, 38,471 metric tons of steel structures, 143,800 mt of steel sections, 11,107 metric tons of steel wire, 80,673 metric tons of flat steel products, including 11,995 mt of coated flat products, 58,877 mt of hot rolled flat products and 9,799 mt of cold rolled flat products.