According to the preliminary statistics provided by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters Association, in the H1 of this year, Turkey's steel exports to North Africa regressed by 40.37% YoY in value, totaling USD 1.09 billion.

The main reason for this decline is the drop in Turkey's steel exports to Egypt. In the first 6 months of 2010, Turkey's steel exports to Egypt came to USD 399.85 mln compared to USD 1.06 billion in H1 2009 which represents a decrease of 62.35%.

As previously reported, due to Turkey's intensive steel export activity to Egypt in 2009 in the context of the latter country's booming infrastructure projects, in early January this year Egyptian steelmakers asked Egypt's minister of trade and industry to conduct an antidumping investigation into Turkey's steel imports to the country. However, in the investigation, the ministry did not find any unfair trade practice.

Meanwhile, Turkey's steel exports to Libya increased by 38.71% YoY in the January to June period of this year amounting to USD 325.56 mln, while its steel exports to Algeria decreased by 58.19% to USD 172.63 mln and its steel exports to Sudan fell by 41.37% to USD 13.38 mln; Turkey's steel exports to Morocco improved by 41.08% to USD 103.62 mln in the same period while its exports to Tunisia rose by 278.62% to USD 73.49 mln.

Source: Steelorbis