Turkish steelmakers saw export volumes fall 7.3% in 2013 to 18.4 million metric tonnes, while revenues dropped 10.6% to $13.9 billion, the Turkish Steel Exporters' Association (CIB) said Monday.
Inroads made into exporting to countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Thailand and some southern European nations were not enough to offset big falls in exports to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Canada and Singapore.
Chairman for CIB, Namik Ekinci pointed to anti-dumping investigations and import tariffs erected in 2013 against Turkish steel, which significantly hampered business. Ekinci name-checked the Arab Spring, the EU/US sanctions on Iran and financial volatility in the EU as also crimping steel exports.
Ekinci said conditions for 2014 remained difficult, but if headway was made in global issues, exports could increase to CIB's target of 18.5 million mt this year.
In 2013, the Middle East remained the largest buyer of Turkish steel, booking 7.4 million mt. Africa purchased 3.3 million mt, while the EU and North America both bought 2.8 million mt.
Turkey maintained its position as the world's largest exporter of rebar, selling 8.5 million mt abroad.
Other leading products included pipe, with 1.8 million mt exported, and profiles, of which 1.6 million mt were sold.
In December 2013, exports fell 3.9% on the year to 1.5 million mt. Revenue was $1.2 billion, a 3.5% fall on the last month of 2012.