Mumbai: India’s crude steel output declined over 65 per cent to 3.13 million tonnes (MT) during April, according to the World Steel Association.
The government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to prevent spread of the coronavirus pandemic which has impacted production, demand and supply of steel in India.
The country had produced 9.02 MT of crude steel during the same month a year ago, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) said in a report.
India had posted a 14 per cent decline in steel output at 8.65 MT in March as compared with 10.04 MT in March 2019.
Global steel output also declined 13 per cent to 137.09 MT as compared with 157.67 MT in April 2019.
Due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of this month’s (April) figures are estimates that may be revised with next month’s production update, the global industry body said.
China, which had for the first time in many months reported a 1.7 per cent fall in its output in March at 78.97 MT, has started showing growth in production, the data showed.
The country, which has a sizeable share in global output, produced 85.03 MT steel in April, a marginal rise of 0.2 per cent as compared with 84.87 MT in the corresponding month of 2019, according to data from the report.
US produced 4.96 MT of crude steel in April, 32 per cent lower than 7.35 MT in the year-ago month.
Japan registered a 23 per cent fall in crude steel production at 6.61 MT in April 2020 as against 8.64 MT in April 2019.
South Korea produced 5.50 MT crude steel, down 8.4 per cent from 6 MT in April 2019. In the EU, worldsteel said, Germany estimated 3 MT of crude steel production in April 2020, down 10.7 per cent from April 2019. Italy’s production was down by 30.7 per cent at 1.35 MT.
France estimated 0.80 MT of crude steel production in April 2020, a 37.9 per cent decrease compared to April 2019, while Spain produced 0.67 MT of crude steel in April 2020, down 48 per cent from April 2019.
Russia estimated 4.70 MT of crude steel production in April 2020, Ukraine produced 1.33 MT, while Brazil produced 1.81 MT. Turkey’s crude steel production for April 2020 was 2.24 MT, it said.