According to the data issued by the Ukrainian Association of Metal Traders, in the first two months of 2009 the country registered a 55.1 percent reduction in steel consumption year on year to 685,151 metric tons. Meanwhile, during the month in question, imports of steel products to Ukraine went down by 87.2 percent year on year to 48.171 metric tons.
Accordingly, in January-February 2009, the Ukrainian pipe making companies reduced purchases of domestic and imported steel products by 47.3 percent to 196,236 mt, construction companies cut purchases by 68.7 percent to 11,925 mt, railway producers - by 87.6 percent to 1,571 mt, and hardware producers - by 60.4 percent to 44,312 mt, all compared with the same period of the previous year. Furthermore, Ukrainian steel sellers, including the smaller ones, reduced their purchases by 61.1 percent to 203,459 mt, mining and metallurgical companies cut their purchases by 21.1 percent to 128,291 mt, while machine building companies decreased purchases by 71.2 percent to 82,468 mt, all compared with the data for January-February 2008.