Turkish pipemakers target 2 Million tonnes of exports in 2015

ANKARA (Scrap Monster): The Turkish pipemakers look optimistic to surpass the target of 2 million tonnes of exports during 2015. According to them, abolition of import duty on flat steel would ensure supply of sufficient raw material to boost production.

According to Turkey’s Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (CEBID), the country’s pipe exports totaled 1.95 million tonnes in 2014, rising by 4.9% when compared with the previous year. It notes that the pipe exports have surged despite political instability in some of the key export markets including Iraq. The value of pipe exports in 2014 amounted to $1.63 billion, declining marginally by 0.7% over the year.

The pipe exports dropped significantly during the second half of 2014, especially on account of political insurgency in Iraq. However, the country’s pipe exports rebounded in Dec ’14 to 206,221 tonnes, rising 28% over the exports during Dec ’13. The pipe exports to the US during the month surged almost 75% to 61,333 tonnes. Exports to Algeria, Lithuania and Israel recorded three-digit growth during the month.

Iraq remained the largest destination of Turkish pipe exports in 2014. The exports totaled 348,715 tonnes during the year, registering a decline of 26% year-on-year. The second largest export destination was the US with 331,464 tonnes. The exports to the US rose 18% when compared with 2013. In third place was the UK with 240,209 tonnes.

CEBID noted that removal of import duty on flat products needs to be removed if the country has to achieve its target of $7.9 billion worth of pipe exports by 2023.