It was a challenging year for the world’s largest volume exporter of most grades of polyethylene and polypropylene. Weak demand in Asia-Pacific and competition from North America and Asia-Pacific resulted in a drop in Middle East exports of LPDE, EVA, polypropylene homopolymer and propylene copolymers versus the prior year, and, shifts in regional destinations.

The Middle East continued as the world’s largest exporter of LDPE, HDPE, polypropylene homopolymer and propylene copolymers. (North America continued as the world’s largest exporter of linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers – LL/EAOC).

Middle East exports of LDPE were down 5% mainly on lower shipments to Asia-Pacific.

Exports of LL/EAOC rose 1%, slightly lower volumes to Asia-Pacific offset by a gain to Eastern Europe.

HDPE exports from the Middle East grew 6% on gains of 4-6% to Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific and a 22% jump on large volumes to Africa (Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and others).

The largest drop in Middle East exports was in polypropylene, down 15%. Competition from Asia-Pacific negatively impacted Middle East exports to Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Africa. Afrcia was also a polypropylene competitor, sending increased volumes to Eastern Europe. Competition from Asia-Pacific was the key factor in lower Middle East exports of propylene copolymers.

PVC was the Middle East’s largest commodty polymer import. Higher volumes from North America more than offset declines from Asia-Pacific and Western Europe, resulting in a 5% increase in the Middle East import total.

From International Trader Publications’ continuously updated World Trade Analyses of all grades of commodity polymers.