The situation of the Turkish steel industry was evaluated

Yayan stated that although Turkey's GDP is constantly growing and this will support all sectors, the growth in the Turkish steel industry is not stable.

Pointing out that Turkey's crude steel production decreased by 21.5 percent in the first three months of this year, Yayan said, "The country's crude steel production decreased by 44 percent in January, 75 percent in the southern region and 50 percent in March due to devastating earthquakes in February. However, we expect a recovery in the coming months.” Production figures are expected to improve with the resumption of production by İsdemir and the commissioning of Tosyalı's new factory in Sarıseki, Hatay.

Capacity utilization rates declined
Evaluating the capacity utilization rates, Yayan stated that the capacity utilization rates in the Turkish steel industry, which were 70 percent in the same period of 2022, decreased to 53 percent in the first three months of 2023. The protective measures implemented by the EU and the US, however, also face challenges arising from declining global steel demand. He predicts that the market outlook will worsen from July of this year. The TCUD official said that he does not expect the EU or the US to compromise on protection measures, adding that Turkey will also take similar measures and the general trend will be to focus on the domestic market.

Türkiye has a deficit in foreign trade
Pointing out that Russia ranks first among Turkey's flat importing countries, Yayan said, “Russia was followed by China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan. Trade with these countries takes place unilaterally. Türkiye cannot export to these markets. In 2023, our trade with the EU turned negative. We are making a deficit in foreign trade," he said. In the January-February period this year, Turkey's exports to the EU amounted to 330,000 mt, while imports from the region amounted to 400,000 mt. Pointing out that the ratio of steel exports to imports in Turkey decreased from 80.1 percent in the first two months of 2022 to 55.3 percent in the same period, Yayan said, “We expect an extraordinary volume of flat steel inflows in March and April, and therefore exports cannot meet imports. rate will decrease further.