Middle Eastern countries boosted their crude steel output in 2017, with producers calling for more trade protection measures to support self-sufficiency in the sector.
Middle East crude steel output reached 27.17 million tonnes in the first 10 months of the year, up by 13.29% from 23.98 million tonnes for the same period in 2016, according to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel). Iran produced 17.90 million tonnes of crude steel over the period, a 20.92% increase; Qatar produced 2.24 million tonnes, a 4.87% increase; and the United Arab Emirates produced 2.74 million tonnes, an 8.57% increase year on year. But output from Saudi Arabia declined by 5.09% to 4.29 million tonnes of crude steel in January-October 2017, driven by the country's economic problems, which have weighed on demand. The biggest steel producers in the Middle East are Hadeed Sabic in Saudi Arabia, Ezz Steel in Egypt and Emirates Steel in the UAE. Their crude steel production volumes totaled 5.27 million tonnes,...