Iron and steel output down, with situation expected to get even worse

Output by the iron and steel sector declined by 14.1% in the first five months, compared to the same period of last year. Between January and May, Poland produced 2.4 million tons of iron, a drop of 16.6% from last year. The production of steel was 3.8 million tons, 14.4% down from the first five months of 2000. The decline in Poland is worse than in the EU, where steel production fell by 1.2%, and the USA, which recorded a 13.6% fall. By contrast, the former Soviet republics achieved a 2.9% increase in steel production, while in Asia the rise was 4.8%. The situation in Poland may get even worse, should the EU and the US go ahead with plans to block steel imports from the former Soviet Union, since the countries affected would instead sell their steel in Poland, at a lower price than that produced locally. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) A.K.