Turkey's steel product exports to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region in the first four months of 2010 declined by 29.99 percent year on year to 3.27 million metric tons, according to the data provided by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (IMMIB). Meanwhile, the region continued to be Turkey's major export market, accounting for 61 percent of its total steel product exports. However, in January-April 2009, this figure was recorded at 69.44 percent.
In January-April period of this year, the UAE again ranked first among Turkey's steel product export markets with a steel product export volume amounting to 637,693 metric tons, up 14 percent year on year, followed by Egypt, Turkey's largest steel export market in the first four months of 2009, with 547,689 metric tons, down 68.65 percent.
In the given period, Turkey's steel product exports to Iraq totaled 323,240 metric tons, down 40.43 percent, exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to 417,362 metric tons, up 105.15 percent, and exports to Libya came to 244,660 metric tons, down 20.32 percent, all compared to the corresponding period of 2009.
In the January-April period, steel bars, including rebar, was Turkey's most exported product to the region, accounting for 37.12 percent of the country's total steel product exports to the region. Steel bar exports to the MENA region totaled 1.21 million metric tons in the first four months of 2010, regressing by 62.26 percent year on year. Meanwhile, steel billet exports to the region amounted to 767,123 metric tons, climbing by 3.78 times compared to the year-ago period, and accounting for 23.45 percent of Turkey's total steel export to the MENA region.