Ukrainian ferroalloy plants continue to lose foreign markets due to downtime

MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax) - Ukraine reduced export volumes of ferroalloys from January through April of this year from 208,019 tonnes to 1,141 tonnes, a 181-fold decrease.

In monetary terms, exports of ferroalloys fell 49-fold from $180.098 million to $3.668 million, Ukrainian media reported citing the State Customs Service as saying.

Meanwhile, shipments were made primarily to Poland (73.66% of exports in monetary terms), Uzbekistan (10.36%) and Moldova (9.90%).

Meanwhile, Ukraine imported 36,510 tonnes of these products, which is more than a 17-fold increase versus January-April 2023. In monetary terms, imports increased 5.7-fold to $59.305 million from $10.368 million. Imports came mainly from Poland (45.2%), Kazakhstan (14.19%) and Norway (11.99%).

As reported, the largest Ukrainian enterprises for the extraction of manganese ore, Pokrovsky (formerly Ordzhonikidze) and Marganets mining and processing plants, suspended extraction and processing of ore in the fall of 2023, and the largest ferroalloy plants, Nikopol and Zaporozhye, suspended the smelting of ferroalloys.

Executive Director of the Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Producers Sergei Kudryavtsev said that at present it is too early to talk about resuming production at these enterprises. "The situation is being analyzed, and all options are being explored, but at the moment there are no solutions," he said.

Ukraine reduced exports of ferroalloys 1.5% in volume terms in 2023 versus 2022 to 344,173 tonnes, while in monetary terms, there was a 47.2% decrease to $297.595 million.