In January-April this year, Ukrainian companies increased exports of ferrous metal scrap by 45.5% compared to the same period last year, to 127,209 tons from 87,414 tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, 46,321 thousand tons were exported in April (16.1% more than in March), 39,908 thousand tons in March (an increase of 57.8% compared to February), in February – 25,284 thousand tons of scrap metal (an increase of 61% compared to January), and in January – 15,696 thousand tons.
In monetary terms, scrap metal exports in January-April increased by 39.4% to $39.247 million from $28.155 million.
During the period in question, scrap metal exports were formally carried out mainly to Poland (86.96% of shipments in monetary terms), Greece (6.60%), and Germany (3.09%).
In the first four months of the year, Ukraine imported 33 tons of scrap metal worth $12,000 from Poland (54.55%), the Seychelles (36.36%), and the British Virgin Islands (9.09%).
According to data from the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, last year almost 300,000 tons of ferrous metal scrap were exported from Ukraine to the EU with zero customs duties. The lion’s share of these exports transited through Constanta and other ports to Turkey and other countries, avoiding the payment of EUR 180 per tonne in customs duties, which is about UAH 2 billion in lost revenue to the state budget.
Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Dmytro Kysilevsky emphasized that if this scrap had gone to Ukrainian factories, it would have created more added value in production, more taxes, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine could have received more funds to finance Ukraine’s defense needs.
Therefore, in view of this, Ukraine must begin consultations with its European partners on their ability to track the end user of raw materials, as well as on other more practical measures to ensure that these scarce raw materials remain and are processed in the country (…) Ukraine must be as firm as possible in defending its national interests,” the parliamentarian concluded.
In addition, it was reported that due to the sharp increase in exports of strategic raw materials from Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy initiated the introduction of a licensing and quota regime for the export of scrap metal with a zero quota. A public discussion of the draft resolution is currently underway. Its implementation is expected to contribute to the smooth operation of Ukraine’s metallurgical and foundry industries, as well as to stabilize the situation with the supply of scrap metal on the domestic market of Ukraine.
In 2024, Ukraine’s scrap metal collection companies increased their exports of ferrous scrap by 60.7% compared to 2023, to 293,190 thousand tons from 182,465 thousand tons. In monetary terms, scrap metal exports for the year increased by 73.2% to $91.311 million from $52.723 million.
