MOSCOW, September 23A significant glass shortage is expected in Ukraine in October, as the market is faced with a labor shortage and weak demand, reports the Ukrainian publication Economic Pravda.
«»This year, Ukrainian window manufacturers expect a significant shortage of glass in the autumn — in October, when there is a peak in demand for windows, since almost 60% of it comes from Turkey and Belarus. Ukrainian window manufacturers are working at 60-70% of their capacity , as the market is faced with a shortage of labor and weak demand,” says a statement published on the publication’s website.
As the publication reports, citing data from the state statistics service, in 2022, construction enterprises in Ukraine reduced the volume of work performed by 56% compared to 2021 — to 113.83 billion hryvnia (just over $3 billion). As the publication notes, until 2022, more than 75% of glass was imported from Russia and Belarus. Now, even with the market halved, glass prices have increased by 80%.
«»In the first seven months of 2023, about 5.65 million square meters of float glass were imported to Ukraine. Almost 68% came from Poland, another 7% each from Turkey and the Czech Republic. However, at least a third of all float glass imported by Ukraine -glass, manufactured in Belarus,” the message clarifies.
The publication indicated that there is no ban on the import of products from Belarus. Last year, more than $759 thousand worth of cast and rolled glass was imported to Ukraine. Imports from Belarus accounted for almost a third, another 20% came from Poland, and 15% from Mexico. This year, Belarus disappeared from the list of direct glass importers, but Poland's share increased.