PVC imports to Russia fall threefold, exports up in 2018

MOSCOW (MRC)–Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia totalled 16,100 tonnes last year, down almost threefold year on year, according to MRC’s DataScope report.

At the same time, Russian producers increased their exports by more than one and a half times.

Imports of SPVC stood at 1,300 tonnes in the December. Overall imports of resin to Russia were 16,100 tonnes in 2018 compared to 48,900 tonnes year earlier.

Weaker demand for PVC from the domestic market and increased domestic production was the main reason for lower imports. At the same time, export sales of Russian producers exceeded 149,700 tonnes over the stated period.

Chinese producers were the key foreign suppliers of resin last year, and overall imports of acetylene PVC were 12,500 tonnes in 2018 versus 44,600 tonnes a year earlier. Germany-based producers were the second-largest foreign suppliers, at around 2,000 tonnes.

At the same time, demand for PVC, which has been subsiding for the past several years from the domestic market, and high utilisation rates of the existing production capacities became the main cause of Russian producers’ record volumes of PVC exports last year.

February, November and December were the record months in terms of exports.

Overall, 149,700 tonnes of SPVC were shipped to foreign markets in 2018 (excluding deliveries to Belarus and Kazakhstan) versus 100,700 tonnes a year earlier. RusVinyl and the Bashkir Soda Company accounted for the largest exports.

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