Ukraine imports 120% more copper, 7.7% more aluminum in 2023

MOSCOW. Jan 19 (Interfax) - Ukrainian businesses increased imports of copper and copper products by 120% to $140.795 million in 2023, Ukrainian media reported, citing the State Customs Service.

The country's exports of copper and copper products, meanwhile, fell 20.1% to $72.078 million. Copper imports and exports totalled $20.856 million and $6.906 million, respectively, in December alone.

Ukraine also increased imports of aluminum and its products by 7.7% to $366.463 million in 2023, including $31.951 million in December alone, and imports of zinc and its products by 18.8% to $45.966 million, including $3.665 million in December.

But imports of nickel and its products plunged 74.2% to $15.391 million, imports of lead and its products tumbled 65.2% to $989,000 and imports of tin and its products fell 23% to $2.728 million, including respectively $1.025 million, $70,000 and $310,000 in December alone.

Ukraine's exports of aluminum and lead rose 0.7% and 23.5%, respectively, to $97.616 million and $14.778 million in 2023, including $8.433 million and $704,000 in December. But exports were down to $532,000 (including $24,000 in December) from $1.268 million in 2022 for nickel; $130,000 ($13,000) from $1.331 million for zinc; and to $159,000 ($79,000) from $424,000 for tin.

Ukraine's exports of titanium ore and concentrate plunged 96.4% by volume to 11,648 tonnes and 85.1% by value to $19.426 million. The biggest markets for these exports were Turkey, Japan and India, accounting for, respectively, 38.21%, 16.53% and 6.12% of shipments by value. Ukraine imported one tonne of titanium ore from the Netherlands for $2,000 in 2023.