In March this year, Turkey's slab imports totaled 179,366 metric tons, up 34.7 percent from February and down 22.6 percent year-on-year, according to preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Meanwhile, revenue from these imports totaled $83.23 million, up 33.9 percent month-on-month and down 26.7 percent year-on-year.
Between January and March, Turkey's slab imports totaled 617,245 tons, down 34 percent, while the value of those imports fell 38.2 percent to $ 287.13 million, year-on-year.
Turkey Slab Imports - Last 12 Months
During the period, Turkey's largest source of slab imports was Russia, which supplied 295,907 tons, down 33.3 percent year-on-year. Russia was followed by Malaysia with 152,718 tonnes, down 50.3 percent, and Algeria with 69,067 tonnes, down 37 percent year-on-year.
The inclusion of Indonesia and libya in this year's list, despite no imports from those countries in the same period last year, indicated a shift in supply distribution. Meanwhile, it was also noticeable that imports from India fell to zero this year. The overall picture shows that as Turkey's total slab import tonnage fell by 34 percent year-on-year, purchases from major suppliers weakened while new sources remained limited in offsetting the overall decline.
Turkey's top 10 slab import sources in
