Polymer imports posted decreases in April both in China and Turkey. China recorded a 13% loss while Turkey’s overall polymer imports fell by 7% when compared to a month before, according to ChemOrbis Import Statistics. These polymers include PP, PVC, PE, PS, PET and ABS.
China imported more than 1,200,000 tons of polymers in April with an approximate total value of 2 billion USD. Although imports were down in April in terms of volume, the value of imports per ton was higher in line with the rising price trend that was in place in China’s polymer markets until the second half of March.
Looking at China’s imports by product, a monthly drop of 8% was seen for homo PP, PVC was down by 5%, LDPE by 19%, HDPE by 14% while LLDPE saw the sharpest decrease in volume by 31% in April. China’s PS imports were stable on the month. In the first four months, South Korea continued to be China’s largest homo PP supplier while the US was the main import PVC supplier. Saudi Arabia was at the top of the list of PE suppliers for three products, meanwhile.
Turkey imported 340,000 tons of polymers in total in April, almost one fourth of China’s monthly import volume. It represents a decrease of 7% both when compared to March and the same period of 2012. Indeed, Turkey’s overall imports appear to have retreated by 3% in the first four months of 2013 when compared to the same period of last year. As was the case in China, the value of imports per ton continued to be up in April regardless of the reduced volumes, which was due to the global upward trend making itself felt on the market until late March.
According to ChemOrbis, Turkey’s April imports represented a decrease of 36% for PVC, 13% for HDPE, 55% for LLDPE whereas homo PP imports were up by 10% on the month. Overall LDPE and PS imports held steady on the month, meanwhile. Looking at the import figures by country, Saudi Arabia continued to outpace other countries significantly in PP and PE imports in the first four months. For PVC, Norway was the main supplier while Belgium took the lead in PS imports for the first four months.
