BEIJING- China’s crude steel output fell more than 6 percent in March from the same month a year earlier, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday, as production at mills was crimped by COVID-19 outbreaks and environmental restrictions.
The world’s top steel producer made 88.3 million tons of the metal last month, down from 94.02 million tons in March 2021, said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Average daily output in March stood at 2.85 million tons, according to Reuters calculation based on the NBS data. That was down from 3.03 million tons in the same month last year but up from 2.68 million tons in January-February.
Production curbs at northern steel mills that aimed to cut pollution and improve air quality during the winter heating season and Beijing Olympics were planned to end in mid-March, after being implemented for around half a year.
