Russia Jan-May PP imports fall by 5% year on year

MOSCOW (MRC)–Overall imports of polypropylene (PP) into Russia dropped in the first five months of 2017 by 5% year on year, totalling 61,100 tonnes, according to MRC’s DataScope report.           

Russian companies increased PP imports to 15,400 tonnes last month from 10,600 tonnes in April, with homopolymer PP raffia from Central Asia and  propylene block copolymer (PP block copolymer) from Europe accounting for the increase in shipments.

Overall, 61,100 tonnes of propylene polymers were imported into Russia in January-May 2017, compared to 64,400 tonnes a year earlier.

Shipments of homopolymer PP fell by a third, whereas imports of propylene copolymers, on the contrary, increased.

Overall, the structure of PP imports by grades looked the following way over the stated period:

May imports of homopolymer PP exceeded 7,000 tonnes, compared to 3,300 tonnes a month earlier. Local companies raised their shipments of homopolymer PP raffia grade from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Overall imports of this PP grade reached 21,000 tonnes in the first five months of 2017, compared to 31,000 a year earlier.

Last month’s imports of PP block copolymers were 3,300 tonnes versus 2,800 tonnes in April. 

Local companies reduced purchasing of PP block copolymers for  non-pressure pipes extrusion. Imports of PP block copolymers into Russia reached 16,800 tonnes in January-May 2017, compared to 12,600 tonnes a year earlier.

May imports of statistical propylene copolymers (PP-random) were slightly over 2,200 tonnes, which was almost equal to the figure a month earlier. Overall imports of this grade of propylene copolymers were 10,900 tonnes in January-May 2017, compared to 10,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Imports of other propylene polymers totalled 12,300 tonnes over the stated period, compared to 10,300 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC, a partner of ICIS, produces polymers news and pricing reports from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.