MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia totalled 16,100 tonnes last year, down by almost three times year on year. At the same time, Russian producers increased their exports by more than one and a half times, according to MRC's DataScope report.
Imports of suspension were 1,300 tonnes in the last month of the year. 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 the 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, overall imports of acetylene PVC were 12,500 tonnes in 2018 versus 44,600 tonnes a year earlier. German producers with the amount of about 2,000 tonnes were the second largest foreign suppliers.
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