Turkey’s steel pipe exports up four percent in H1

According to the statistics provided by the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (CEBID), in the first half of this year Turkey's total steel pipe exports amounted to 852,638 metric tons, increasing by four percent compared to the corresponding period last year. Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these exports totaled $776 million, down by three percent compared to January-June 2011.

In the period in question, Turkey's seamless steel pipe imports rose three percent over the same period last year to 120,000 mt, while its welded pipe imports fell five percent year on year to 49,000 mt. On the other hand, in the first half of the year the share of Turkey's steel pipe exports to the EU fell to 41.1 percent of its total steel pipe export volume, down from the 50.7 percent recorded in the first half of 2011, while the share of steel pipe exports to the Americas rose to 21.2 percent, from 13.2 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year.
 
The associaton forecast a 3.5-4.0 percent year-on-year growth in the steel pipe production of Turkey in 2012, following a 10 percent year-on-year increase recorded in 2011. CEBID said that the global financial slowdown, the economic crisis in the EU which is the most crucial market for the Turkish steel pipe sector, and the contraction of domestic demand negatively influenced the Turkish steel pipe sector, in addition to the slowing of the growth rate in the construction sector and the sluggishness of the automotive sector.  
 
Turkey's top 10 steel pipe export destinations in H1 2012: