The Turkish Steel Producers’ Association (TCUD) has said that in the first six months of the current year Turkey’s finished steel consumption decreased by 32.8 percent to 12.3 million mt, compared to the same period of last year. In the given period, Turkish steel exports increased by 15.1 percent to 11.2 million mt, while the value of these exports rose by 1.7 percent to $8.3 billion, both year on year. On the other hand, in the given period the country’s steel imports decreased by 33 percent to 5.8 million mt, with their value down 33 percent to $4.9 billion, both year on year.
According to the TCUD, considering the difficulties the Turkish steel industry is dealing with both in its domestic and foreign markets, this high level of imports is not favorable. In particular, steel imports from Iran have increased sharply, from 25,000 mt six years ago to 150,000 mt, with rebar imports from Iran accounting for 95 percent of all Turkey’s imports of Iranian steel.
The TCUD stated, “It is heard that rebar from Iran which needs to be focused on in terms of its quality, is being used in some public building projects. The low quality steel products from the country in question, sold at lower than market price via deceptive methods to Turkey’s traditional export markets as if they are of Turkish origin, is having a negative impact on the image of Turkish steel products. It is essential that the necessary measures are taken on this issue to guard domestic production and for the future of Turkish steel exports.