South Africa’s steel industry has experienced considerable headwinds over the past few years; however, the biggest challenge that must be dealt with is the import duties that have been implemented to protect primary producers, but that has adversely impacted on the downstream industry, various speakers noted during a discussion hosted by steel products producer Duferco Steel Processing, in Gauteng, on November 30. The participants stated that, with over six years of protection in the form of import tariffs on steel products, prices have not improved and only primary steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has benefitted, to the detriment of the downstream steel industry.
