From 2016 to 2021, Kyrgyzstan maintained a steady flow of ferrous scrap exports, typically ranging between 80,000 and 98,000 tonnes annually. Uzbekistan was the dominant buyer during this period, often accounting for the vast majority of Kyrgyzstan’s exports. In 2017, for example, Uzbekistan alone imported nearly 97,000 tonnes of scrap, while the total export volume was just under 98,000 tonnes. However, starting in 2022, this trade relationship began to fade. Exports to Uzbekistan fell drastically to 485 tonnes that year, and in 2023, the country imported none.
Russia emerged as a new and important partner starting in 2018. That year, Kyrgyzstan exported over 21,000 tonnes of scrap to Russia, and the volume continued to rise, peaking in 2021 at over 61,000 tonnes. But this trend, too, saw a sharp reversal. By 2023, only 35 tonnes were sent to Russia, the total volume of Kyrgyzstan’s scrap exports that year.
Other destinations such as Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Iran showed moderate and intermittent interest in Kyrgyz scrap between 2016 and 2021. The broad decline across almost all markets suggests more than just a shift in bilateral trade patterns.
According to customs statistics, Uzbekistan has been hit the hardest by the restrictions on Kyrgyz scrap exports. With its primary supplier out of the picture, Uzbekistan is now turning to alternative sources, mainly Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. However, this strategy comes with its own challenges, Kazakhstan also periodically enforces complete bans on scrap exports to Uzbekistan, leaving Tashkent in a vulnerable position.
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