Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, August 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Russian and other companies jointly supplied 91.7% of Ukraine's import quota of 14,504 tonnes of steel seamless casing and compressor pipes during the first year of its introduction from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009, receiving licenses to supply 13,299.885 tonnes of pipes.

The Ukrainian Economy Ministry gave pipe import data as of August 1, 2009.

The ministry said that Russian companies used 100% of their quota, receiving licenses to supply 10,310.96 tonnes of pipes, with the quota being 10,311 tonnes.

Austrian companies received licenses to supply 2,053 tonnes of pipes or 96.6% of the quota (2,125 tonnes), Polish companies – 334.25 tonnes (35%), Romanian companies – 126.7 tonnes or 70% of the quota (181 tonnes), and companies from other countries – 475.3 tonnes or 70% of the quota (679 tonnes).

The ministry said that a decision of the interagency commission for foreign trade of July 21, 2009 on the revision of quotas on imports of pipes and the temporary cancellation of restrictions on some types of goods would not affect the total level of quotas, as these are small volumes.

As reported, in June 2008, the interagency commission for international trade decided to impose special three-year quotas on the import of steel seamless casing and compressor pipes, irrespective of the country of origin.

The total quota for the current year is 14,504 tonnes.

During the first year of quotas, from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009, the quota for pipe exports from Russia is 10,311 tonnes, from Austria – 2,125 tonnes, Poland – 955 tonnes, Slovakia – 148 tonnes, India – 63 tonnes, China 42 tonnes and other countries – 679 tonnes.

From October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010, the quota is to be increased by 5%, to 15,230 tonnes with a proportional rise for the countries, and from October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011 the quota will grow by 10% compared to the quotas in the first year of their introduction, to 15,955 tonnes.

Earlier, Ukrtruboprom reported that the grounds for the start of a dumping investigation in September 2007 were a jump in imports of these types of pipes. In 2003-2006, their imports grew by more than 2.2 times, which led to a 42% fall in shipments of these products by domestic producers in 2007.

The share of imports of steel casing and compressor pipes to Ukraine in 2007 grew from 29% to 43%. Imports to Ukraine of Chinese pipes alone grew by almost 17 times.