The value of iron ore imports to the Mexican steel market totaled $45.2 million in April, compared to $181,000 in the same month of 2023. Although considering only the fourth month of each year, 2024 is a historical record, according to a SteelOrbis analysis of data from the national statistics agency Inegi.
In the accumulated January-April, $100.2 million were imported, a figure that represented a decrease of 10.7 percent or $12.0 million compared to the same period in 2023.
At the beginning of 2023, the integrated steel company Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) went into paralysis due to insolvency and stopped producing steel and also paralyzed the extraction of iron ore. Since May 24, there has been a blockade by unionized workers at one of ArcelorMittal's iron mines and blast furnace in the western Mexican state of Michoacán.
In the Inegi information, there are no records of the export of iron ore.