In July this year, Turkey's billet and bloom import volume decreased by 11.94 percent year on year to 233,879 metric tons, and declined by 13.1 percent compared to the previous month, according to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The value of these imports totaled $125.93 million, down 13.38 percent year on year and decreasing by 14.34 percent compared to the previous month.
Meanwhile, in the first seven months of this year Turkey imported 1.81 million mt of billet and bloom, up 2.38 percent, with a value of $978.67 million, decreasing by 1.47 percent, both year on year.
In the first seven months, Turkey imported 1.02 million mt of billet and bloom from Ukraine, 4.05 percent higher year on year, with Ukraine ranking first among Turkey's main billet and bloom import sources, ahead of Russia which supplied 590,985 mt in the given period, up 20.07 percent year on year. Meanwhile, in July this year Russia was the leading source for Turkey's billet and bloom imports, supplying 103,984 mt, up 28.94 percent year on year.
Turkey's top 10 billet and bloom import sources in January-July this year are as follows:
| Country | Amount (mt) | |||||
| January-July 2014 | January-July 2013 | Y-o-y change (%) | July 2014 | July 2013 | Y-o-y change (%) | |
| Ukraine | 1,018,651 | 978,971 | 4.05 | 99,327 | 154,315 | -35.63 |
| Russia | 590,985 | 492,208 | 20.07 | 103,984 | 80,647 | 28.94 |
| Georgia | 47,326 | 26,284 | 80.06 | 3,897 | 8,950 | -56.46 |
| Albania | 40,557 | 29,473 | 37.61 | 5,405 | 4,000 | 35.13 |
| Serbia | 36,998 | 28,501 | 29.81 | - | - | - |
| Belarus | 32,263 | 91,600 | -64.78 | 14,810 | 6,032 | 145.52 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 21,046 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Germany | 6,315 | 24,102 | -73.8 | 906 | 4,222 | -78.54 |
| Italy | 5,953 | 6,701 | -11.16 | 60 | 1,716 | -96.5 |
| France | 5,786 | 8,466 | -31.66 | 60 | 2,437 | -97.54 |
Turkey's main billet and bloom sources on country basis in the first seven months of this year are presented below:
