Turkish rebar exports grew 26.5% year-on-year to 575,665 tonnes in May, mainly thanks to a rise in shipments to Middle Eastern countries. The total average value/tonne of these exports fell to $410/t from $439/t a year ago, Kallanish notes from the latest Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) data.

The growth in exports follows a -30% y-o-y decrease to 445,589 tonnes in April when the surge in exports to USA could not offset the drop in shipments to other regions.

The USA was Turkey's top export market in May with a 51.3% y-o-y increase in intake to 151,754t. The United Arab Emirates came next with a 68.3% growth in imports to 117,372t. Israel ranked third as its intake surged 135% to 88,738t.

Exports to the MENA region were stable in May. The -31.6% on-year drop in deliveries to Egypt to 26,597t was partly compensated by 8,497t of shipments to Algeria, while no exports were registered there a year earlier. In the Middle East, shipments to Iraq and Kuwait decreased by -66.6% and -27.3% y-o-y, respectively to 19,919t and 14,700t. Supplies to Syria plunged to 1,810t from 17,786t a year ago. These were more than offset by 30,167t delivered to Saudi Arabia, 17,157t to Yemen, 14,915t to Oman, compared to no shipments to these countries a year earlier, and higher intake from UAE and Israel.

Turkish rebar exporters' performance in South America worsened on-year in May. Shipments to Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela fell to zero from 38,526t, 6,168t, and 4,857t respectively a year ago. At the same time, supplies to Chile surged to 10,680t and those to Colombia increased 24.2% on-year to 12,422t. Exports to Sierra Leone increased to 5,250t from 1,127t, to Senegal went up to 2,517t from 1,526t, and to Gambia up to 2,402t from 1,526t a year earlier.

Exports to Europe remained traditionally low. Shipments to Romania grew to 2,642t from 1,554t and those to the UK ceased, compared to 2,994t shipped a year earlier.