In January-March, Ukraine imported 208,250 tons of flat-rolled products, which is 24.3% more than in 2023. Import costs increased by 16.4% to $232.5M. Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, and Italy were the largest suppliers of flat-rolled products of various categories.
The sharp increase in imports is connected with the destruction of the Mariupol metallurgical plants, which specialized in producing flat-rolled products. In addition, there is the impact of a low base of comparison – in the first half of last year, economic activity was low due to hostilities.
In the long term, imports of flat products are expected to increase, especially during post-war reconstruction. Imported supplies will become the main source for meeting domestic demand. In the short term, imports will stabilize at a certain level, given the existing logistical constraints in wartime conditions.