According to the statistics provided by the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (CEBID), in April this year Turkey's total steel pipe exports amounted to 143,000 metric tons, decreasing by 5.3 percent compared to the same month of the previous year and down 21.9 percent compared to March. Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these exports totaled $126 million, falling 11.4 percent compared to April 2012 and down 19.2 percent month on month.
According to CEBID, Turkey's steel pipe exports started the current year with a downtrend, with year-on-year decreases recorded in January and February, before a slight increase occurred in March. Turkey's steel pipe exports in the January-April period amounted to 605,000 mt, increasing 1.6 percent compared to the same period of 2012, while a year-on-year decrease of 4.2 percent was seen in value to $537 million in the first four months.
In the first four months of this year, the decline in steel pipe demand from European Union countries led to the limited increase in Turkey's steel pipe export volume. In addition, exports to the US, the second biggest export destination for Turkey's steel pipes in 2012, decreased by 20 percent in the first four months this year. However, the increase in exports to Iraq was an important factor providing support for Turkish steel pipe exports in the given period.
Turkey's top 10 steel pipe export destinations in the first four months of 2013:
Country |
Volume (mt) |
|
Jan-Apr 2013 |
Jan-Apr 2012 |
|
Iraq |
139,601 |
90,602 |
US |
91,184 |
113,814 |
Algeria |
47,014 |
26,622 |
UK |
49,511 |
76,826 |
Romania |
31,803 |
33,830 |
Germany |
13,465 |
19,701 |
Netherlands |
19,369 |
22,190 |
Poland |
11,429 |
3,140 |
France |
14,566 |
9,429 |
Israel |
13,902 |
7,629 |
Other |
173,738 |
192,115 |
TOTAL |
605,582 |
595,899 |