Situation in Russian Chemical Fibre Market

Abstract

In 2014, chemical fibre demand and consumption in Russia stayed practically at the level of the preceding year. Production (capacity utilization factor 59%) and import rose respectively by 1.9 and 3.5%, export declined by 9.1%. Demand and consumption of viscose staple fibres grew respectively by 21.4 and 29.9% and their import, in consequence, shot up by 25.3%. Demand and consumption of polyester (PE) staple fibres increased a little and production, more noticeably (by 11.5%), import fell slightly and export, quite substantially (by 44.2%). Demand and consumption of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres, primarily as tow procured mostly by import, went up by more than 40%. Progress in polypropylene (PP) staple fibre market was marked. Compared to 2013, demand, consumption, production, and import of polyamide (PA) textile yarns improved with forced reduction of their export by 17%. The results with regard to PE textile yarns were negative in 2014 when their demand, consumption, production, import, and export dropped by 16, 17, 40, 12, and 50%, respectively. On the contrary, demand and consumption of PP textile yarns rose steeply (by 68 and 79%, respectively). Rise of all indicators, except import, to the 3-5% level was noted for PA technical and cord yarns. Import of PE technical and cord yarns is continuing unabated. The year under report was a fiasco in the domestic market of PP film yarns that were being actively introduced into the national economy until recently. The problems of chemical fibre development in Russia are being solved for the most part pretentiously without definite involvement of power structures. The strategy until 2030, even in the case of its realization, is characterized by a twofold drop in the output of this product against the pre-restructuring level and continuation of import by no less than 40% of the total volume of their consumption.