Publish Date: 3 March 2018 - 16:45

TEHRAN, Mar. 03 (MNA) – Chairman of Iranian Steel Producers’ Association (ISPA) Mahmoud Eslamian said that steel production volume in the current Iranian calendar year in 1396 (to end March 20, 2018) will exceed 21 million tons.

Under such circumstances, Iran will be ranked 13th in the world, he maintained.

Import of intermediary steel products has reduced 24 percent considering the domestic production growth while crude steel has declined 76 percent at large, he highlighted.  

Steel sheet is major steel productions in the country, he said, adding, “steel production trend in the country has been satisfactory and it is hoped that steel production objectives will be materialized by 2025.”

With the coordination made in this regard, steel import volume will hit from about 8-9 million tons in the current year to 2.5 million tons at large.”

He pointed to the United States as the world’s leading steel producer and called on the government and officials at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade to take logical steps in levying tariff on steel products within the framework of rules and regulations.

Despite sanctions imposed on Iran over the past and current years, Islamic Republic of Iran managed to export steel to overseas even European countries, he said, adding, “therefore, it is not advisable to reduce steel tariffs, because, construction operation of steel projects is underway.”

He put the country’s proven iron ore reserve at three billion tons.

In conclusion, Chairman of Iranian Steel Producers’ Association (ISPA) Mahmoud Eslamian pointed to the import of hot-rolling sheet and said, “import of hot-rolling sheet has redcued 47 percent in the current year as compared to the same period of last year. In the same direction, export of this product has also been declined.”

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