Iron and steel source attributed the growth of cold steel sheet exports to Morocco because of their low prices compared to competing countries in the Moroccan market, including China.

The imports of CR steel from Egypt to Morocco increased by 343% in 2022-2023, while about 6 thousand tons were recorded in the first 5 months of this year, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The exporters denied that there was a deliberate to flood the Moroccan market with steel products, after the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade announced yesterday, Sunday, the start of an investigation to combat dumping at imports of CR steel that are coming from Egypt.

This investigation comes after a complaint submitted by the “Maghreb Steel”, which is the only Moroccan company producing flat steel, which claims that Egyptian imports are sold in the Moroccan market at unfair prices.

The investigation will cover the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, to assess the potential dumping activity in addition, the resulting damage to analyzing the impact of these imports on the local steel industry will be evaluated based on data from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024.

Walid Jamal Al -Din, head of the Export Council for Building Materials, Hands and Metal Industries, said that the Moroccan government deliberately puts obstacles to the arrival of Egyptian building materials exports to their markets on the pretext of reducing Egyptian companies to prices or the lack of conformity of products to standard specifications.

He added to the “Stock Exchange” that Morocco informed the export council of its intention to impose dumping fees on CR steel , and that the Council, in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and exporting companies, works to prove that this competition is fair and is not subject to any illegal conditions.

He pointed out that the council is a report that includes the cost of production, shipping prices and customs duties imposed until the product arrives in Morocco, provided that it is submitted to the Moroccan authorities.

He explained that the memo will include a proposal to apply the principle of reciprocity, that is, if Morocco imposes fees on Egyptian steel exports, we will request the imposition of fees on Moroccan car exports to the Egyptian market.

He also pointed out that the Moroccan government obstructed the exports of Egyptian insulating materials before that on the pretext of their lack of conformity with the standard specifications, despite the entry of these products to European markets that impose strict conditions.

Egypt’s iron and steel exports recorded about 1.170 billion dollars during the first 7 months of this year, compared to $ 1.437 billion during the same period last year.

For his part, Ayman Al -Ashry, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al -Ashry Steel Group, explained that the decline in demand in the local market prompted the company to search for new export markets, and Morocco is a promising market for Egyptian exports, and we are studying the mechanisms of the reflection of this decision on our exports.

He pointed out that the company depends on pricing its products on criteria that include international prices and manufacturing costs.

In the same context, Hassan Elmarakby, Chairman of the Board of the Elmarakby Steel , said that Egyptian steel exports have become more competitive in neighboring markets and African countries due to the low manufacturing and shipping costs.

He added in a statement to the “Stock Exchange” that the Red Sea tensions led to an increase in the cost of shipping to competing countries such as China, which made Moroccan companies prefer to import from the Egyptian market because of its low prices.

Mohamed Hanafi, Executive Director of the Chamber of Mineral Industries at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, explained that the quantities exported to Morocco are limited when distributed throughout the year, but Morocco is known for placing obstacles in front of Egyptian products.

He explained that the Chamber will cooperate with the Support and Dump Protection Authority, to inform it of prices and manufacturing costs, as well as coordination with companies affected by possible Moroccan decisions.

He pointed out that companies are seeking during the current period to open new export markets with the support of increasing production and maintaining sales after the decline in demand in the external market.

The production of armament iron in Egypt increased by 24.3% during the first 3 months of this year, to 2.16 million tons compared to 1.74 million during the same period of the year 2023.