Tehran, Iran, December 30
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Over 2.7 million metric tons of steel sheets have been imported into Iran despite 3 million tons of steel that is stocked inside the country, Chairman of Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) Mehdi Karbasian said.
He said the issue is worrying and added that the law has been misused, for the imported sheets are simple rather than alloy sheets, Tasnim news agency reported December 30.
Karbasian said the stockpile cannot be exported unless a permit is issued for doing so.
He went on to point out that if the housing market becomes vibrant once more, not only will the steel market be pushed out of recession, but 190 job opportunities will also be created.
He further said that China's 15-percent bonus on steel export and the fall of the Russian ruble against the US dollar have further pushed steel prices down.
Over 8.202 million tons of crude steel was produced in Iran during the first half of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 21- Sept. 22), a fall of 1.8 percent year-on-year.
Iranian companies also produced 8.177 million tons of steel products during the 6-month period.
The Islamic Republic's crude steel output reached 16.33 million tons in 2014, with Iran being the 14th major crude steel producer in the world.