Ukraine's steel output falls 7.9pc in first quarter

KIEV: Ukraine's steel production fell 7.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2017 to 5.6 million tonnes, local news agency Uaprom said on Monday.

It gave no reason for the fall.

Steel production rose 5.5 percent in 2016 to 24.2 million tonnes as the industry picked up after a sharp fall in 2015 due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where most of the country's steel production is based.

Data from the producers' union showed pig iron output fell by 13.6 percent to 5.1 million tonnes in the first three months of this year, while rolled steel production decreased by 8.1 percent to 4.9 million tonnes.

Steel, chemicals and agricultural goods make up the majority of Ukraine's exports.