Egyptian steel industry divided over billet import safeguard duties ahead of government talks
Egypt's steel sector is split over billet import safeguards. Under Resolution No. 121 of 2026, duties run three years: 13.12% with a 70 USD/tonne floor in year one, 12% (64 USD/tonne) in year two and 11% (59 USD/tonne) in year three. Rolling mills say the duties raise costs and want supply judged on saleable output, not capacity, plus faster roll-out of eight billet licences totalling 2.8 million tonnes. Engineering firms cite a 40% price gap with imports; local supply covers only 55-65% of demand. Integrated producers defend the duties: imports rose from 128,000 tonnes in 2021 to 1.7 million tonnes in 2024 (1 billion USD). Billet capacity is 13.6 million tonnes versus 8.8 million tonnes for rebar. Ministerial talks are due October 19.