According to the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD), Turkey has become a net importer of steel because of the rapid increase in subsidized, dumped and unqualified product imports, although it has sufficient steelmaking capacities to meet domestic demand and was one of the world’s top steel exporters.
In November last year, Turkey's steel imports increased by 45.9 percent year on year to 1.71 million mt, according to the data released by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD). In the given month, Turkey's billet and bloom imports totaled 517,000 mt, up 203 percent, while slab imports amounted to 177,000 mt, decreasing by 36.9 percent, both year on year. In November, flat steel imports totaled 781,000 mt, rising by 50 percent, long steel imports amounted to 143,000 mt, up 15.8 percent, while pipe imports increased by 49.2 percent to 56,000 mt, all on year-on-year basis.
During the January-November period, Turkey's steel imports increased by 41.6 percent year on year to 17.51 million mt. In the given period, Turkey's billet and bloom imports moved up by 75.4 percent to 4.57 million mt, while its slab imports rose by 78.5 percent to 2.81 million mt, both year on year. Also, in the first eleven months of last year, Turkey's flat steel imports increased by 28.4 percent to 7.78 million mt, its long steel imports moved up by 6.3 percent to 1.43 million mt, and its steel pipe imports totaled 495,000 mt, up 25.7 percent, all on year-on-year basis.