KIEV: Ukraine’s steel production fell 17.7 percent year-on-year in January-May to 8.7 million tonnes, local news agency Uaprom said on Thursday.
Steel production rose 5.5 percent in 2016 to 24.2 million tonnes as the industry picked up after a sharp fall in 2015 due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where most of the country’s steel production is based.
Data from the producers’ union showed pig iron output fell by 22.1 percent to 7.9 million tonnes in the first five months of this year, while rolled steel production decreased by 20 percent to 7.5 million tonnes.
Steel, chemicals and agricultural goods make up the majority of Ukraine’s exports.