PS import to Ukraine dropped by 10%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of polystyrene (high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) to the Ukrainian market dropped over the first three quarters of 2014 by 10% year on year and totalled 19,400 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast report.

The devaluation of the national currency and weaker demand in the final products market led to a decline in the Ukrainian PS processing sector. Imports also dropped, despite an outage at Stirol. Traders said buying activity was low in the market.

Weaker demand was registered both in the HIPS and GPPS markets. GPPS imports to Ukraine decreased by 3% over the first nine months of the year to 11,300 tonnes. Traders said the market balance was sustained by packaging and disposable tableware producers. The fall in demand in this segment was not so important.

The situation was more difficult in the HIPS market. Imports fell to more than 17% over the stated period. 8,270 tonnes of HIPS arrived in Ukraine from January to September 2014. The weakest demand was registered from refrigerators and electrical engineering producers.