According to the data issued by the Ukrainian Association of Metal Traders, in the first quarter of 2009 the country registered a 53.9 percent reduction in steel consumption year on year to approximately 1.1 million metric tons. Meanwhile, during the period in question, imports of steel products to Ukraine went down by 81.6 percent year on year to 102,860 metric tons.
Accordingly, in January-March 2009 the Ukrainian pipe making companies reduced purchases of domestic and imported steel products by 45.5 percent to 320,458 mt, construction companies cut purchases by 73 percent to 16,509 mt, railway producers - by 77.6 percent to 5,605 mt, and hardware producers - by 59.5 percent to 71,375 mt, all compared with the same period of the previous year. Furthermore, Ukrainian steel sellers, including the smaller ones, reduced their purchases of domestic and imported steel products by 61.6 percent to 317,513 mt, mining and metallurgical companies cut their purchases by 18.3 percent to 201,990 mt, while machine building companies decreased purchases by 68.1 percent to 137,833 mt, all compared with the data for January-March 2008.