Ukraine's steel output keeps sliding

Ukraine’s steel output keeps sliding

The production cut by Ukrainian steel producers in the second quarter of 2005 caused the country's finished steel production to remain almost unchanged at 29.2 million metric tons in January-November 2005 period. Ukraine's Industrial Policy Ministry disclosed that the country's crude steel production fell 1 percent year on year to 35.1 million metric tons in the first eleven months of the year. Pig iron production decreased 2 percent year on year to 27.99 million metric tons. On the other hand, steel pipe production jumped 123 percent year on year to 2.1 million metric tons during the same period. Ukraine produced 48.4 million metric tons of iron ore concentrate in the first eleven months, an increase of 5 percent from a year earlier. Sinter production also rose 1 percent to 43.2 million metric tons, pellet production increased 8 percent to 16.1 million metric tons and crude ore production grew 4 percent to 62.6 million metric tons.