Global Steel Trade; Structural Problems and Future Solutions
Global Steel Trade; Structural Problems and Future Solutions
Global Steel Trade; Structural Problems and Future Solutions
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Domestic Consumption<br />
In 1998, Ukraine’s apparent<br />
steel consumption was a mere<br />
China<br />
31 percent of its 1992 level,<br />
Other<br />
22.6%<br />
having declined most<br />
39.2%<br />
significantly between 1995 <strong>and</strong><br />
1998. 93 This decline, coupled<br />
with a corresponding drop in<br />
14.1% Turkey<br />
Russian dem<strong>and</strong> for Ukrainian<br />
steel, led Ukraine’s steel<br />
7.1%<br />
industry to look globally for<br />
Taiwan<br />
United States<br />
new markets. 94 To some extent,<br />
3.5%<br />
Russia<br />
Belarus<br />
increased trade is part of the<br />
Syria 5.3%<br />
3.6%<br />
broader process of economic<br />
4.6%<br />
transformation. Exp<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
Source: Metal Bulletin Research <strong>and</strong> Infomine.<br />
export markets is important for<br />
Ukraine’s steel industry.<br />
6-7. 1998 Hot-Rolled <strong>Steel</strong> Exports by Destination, Ukraine<br />
Ukraine’s domestic<br />
consumption of rolled steel fell<br />
from 7.5 million MT in 1995<br />
to just 3 million MT in 1999.<br />
China<br />
The decline in domestic steel<br />
consumption was prompted by<br />
Other<br />
a severe downturn in the<br />
Ukrainian economy, which<br />
39.9%<br />
24.5%<br />
was mirrored throughout the<br />
former Soviet Union. Since<br />
1991, Ukraine has been in a<br />
protracted economic slump,<br />
<strong>and</strong> stagnating reform efforts<br />
20.0% Turkey<br />
have worsened the situation.<br />
Russia<br />
Although considerable<br />
4.0%<br />
progress has been made in<br />
Syria<br />
Algeria<br />
5.9%<br />
recent years, Ukrainian<br />
5.7%<br />
economic reforms lag behind<br />
Source: Metal Bulletin Research <strong>and</strong> Infomine.<br />
other countries transforming<br />
their economies. The private<br />
6-8. 1998 Cold-Rolled <strong>Steel</strong> Exports by Destination, Ukraine<br />
sector remains in an<br />
embryonic form, except for<br />
some notable exceptions. 95 The 1998 Russia crisis exacerbated an already strained economic situation<br />
<strong>and</strong> damaged Ukraine’s traditional export markets. The Russia crisis, Ukraine’s economic over reliance<br />
on Russia, <strong>and</strong> stagnating domestic reforms made the situation worse, leading to a further decline in the<br />
country’s GDP <strong>and</strong> a 35 percent nominal depreciation of the Ukrainian currency, the hryvna. 96,97,98<br />
Russian <strong>Trade</strong><br />
Ukraine’s steel sector had always been able to rely on Russia as an outlet. Historically, Ukrainian steel<br />
mills were a primary raw material source for the Soviet Union’s tanks, machines <strong>and</strong> construction projects.<br />
Chapter 6: New Players in the <strong>Global</strong> Market—Ukraine 157