According to the data issued by the Ukrainian Association of Metal Traders, in the first five months of 2009 the country registered a 56.1 percent reduction in rolled steel consumption year on year to approximately 1,789,746 metric tons. Meanwhile, during the period in question, imports of rolled products to Ukraine went down by 78 percent year on year to 197,243 metric tons.
Accordingly, in January-May 2009 the Ukrainian pipemaking companies reduced purchases of domestic and imported rolled products by 44.5 percent to 557,601 mt, local construction companies cut purchases by 76.5 percent to 28,718 mt, railway companies - by 14.3 percent to 35,512 mt, and hardware producers - by 55.9 percent to 135,439 mt, all compared with the same period of the previous year. Furthermore, Ukrainian steel traders, including the smaller companies, reduced their purchases of domestic and imported rolled steel products by 66.4 percent to 479,750 mt, mining and metallurgical companies cut their purchases by 22.8 percent to 296,475 mt, while machine building companies decreased purchases by 71.2 percent to 211,610 mt, all compared with the data for January-May 2008.