Russia's HDG production ups 11 percent in Q1

Russian output of HDG rose 11 percent year on year to 372,000 tons in the first quarter of 2006. Among all Russian producers, Severstal cut HDG shipments by 4 percent, MMK increased HDG shipments by 6 percent and NLMK increased HDG shipments by 65 percent. In the first quarter of 2006 the domestic consumption of HDG rose 24 percent year on year to 380,000 tons. Around 58,000 tons of the products, 15 percent lower than during the same period of last year, were exported. Import, on the other hand, grew by 65 percent to 66,000 tons in January-March 2006 period. Import shares of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, the traditional exporters' of HDG to the Russian market, decreased from over 80 percent in the first quarter of 2005 to 46 percent in the same period of 2006. Bigger shares of the Russian HDG exports were supplied from Turkey, Germany, Estonia and China.