KIEV: Ukraine's steel production rose 3 percent in January to 1.94 million tonnes largely due to a sharp fall in production a year earlier, producers said on Tuesday.

Data from the producers' union showed pig iron output rose by 12 percent to 1.9 million tonnes, while rolled steel production dropped by 6 percent to 1.62 million tonnes.

Producers say that Ukrainian steel plants expect to produce 1.8 million tonnes of steel, 1.8 million tonnes of pig iron and 1.5 million tonnes of rolled steel in February.

Steel production in 2015 was down 16 percent at 22.9 million tonnes.

Copyright Reuters, 2016