Turkish hot-rolled (HR) flat steel imports declined in March, hit by a plunge in intake from Russia and Brazil, while procurement from some European destinations soared, Kallanish notes from the latest Turkish statistical data. 

March HR flats imports were down -19.6% on-year to 422,809 tonnes. The overall average value/tonne of these imports increased to $706/t from $562/t a year ago, according to calculations made using the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) data.

Russia was Turkey's top HR flats supplier in March, despite the -57.2% y-o-y plunge in shipments to 117,042t. The Netherlands ranked second as its supplies surged to 50,097t from 4,382t a year earlier. Ukraine was third with a 47.2% growth in shipments to 39,487t and India followed with a jump in shipments to 34,746t from just 48t a year earlier.

Imports from Germany rose 14.5% y-o-y to 26,666t, while those from South Korea and Spain soared to 24,702t and 21,051t, respectively from 10,539t and 3,950t a year ago. Intake from Belgium also grew 47.1% to 12,032t and deliveries from Egypt stood at 9,448t, up 73.9% y-o-y. Imports from Italy declined -19.7% to 7,453t.

Shipments from Brazil slumped to just 9t in March from 38,253t a year earlier. Imports from China, Slovakia and the UK also plunged to 2,952t, 1,330t and 2.5t, respectively from 20,222t, 12,761t and 10,237t a year earlier.