[Ferro-Alloys.com] China's customs data showed that China’s finished steel exports over January-February 2020 fell 27% year on year to 7.811 million tonnes, the lowest combined total for the two month period since 2013. The sharp fall is attributed to a plunge in overseas orders placed in November and December, when strong domestic demand pushed up Chinese steel prices and encouraged Chinese mills to focus on the home market.

Kuensel Online reported that ferrosilicon producers in Pasakha Industrial Estate in Bhutan have been caught off guard as India’s Ministry of Steel made it mandatory for the steel manufacturers to produce Bureau of Indian Standards certification by April 22nd 2020. The industries had nine months’ time to produce certification as the announcement came on July 22, 2019. However, the industrial estates in Pasakha came to know about the notification only last month. 

JSW Steel Limited reported crude steel production at 1.320 million tonnes in February 2020 compared to 1.257 million tonnes in Feb 2019, recording a growth of 5%.

Latin American steel association Alacero announced that the steel consumption in Latin America in 2019 registered a 5% decrease, totaling 64 million tonnes due to worsening deindustrialization process, which has been present for decades and can impact the stability of 260,000 direct jobs in the sector.

In November it was suggested two thirds of the job losses across Europe would be management and office-based roles.

Click here for more information: Ferrosilicon Daily Express 3.16