Middle East

Prices for some containerboard produced in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries moved north once again in March. Manufacturers have been pushing prices up throughout the first quarter on the back of limited supply, following logistical difficulties owing to the Red Sea shipping crisis, and improved demand ahead of and during Ramadan. Want to know […]

Constrained international shipments contribute to higher prices Prices for locally produced containerboard continued to rise in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in February, after our indices registered increases of approximately $20 per tonne in January. In the largest market, Saudi Arabia, many contracts are inked for the quarter, and price contributors already reported increases […]

Prices for locally produced containerboard rose in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in January. In late December, the Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO) announced a price hike of $70 per tonne, starting January 1. Several other producers in the region have also demanded increases of various magnitudes from their customers. Generally, our contacts reported […]

The consumption of steel scrap in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was expected to rise sharply in the coming years amid expansions in steelmaker capacities to feed greater steel demand

The MENA region is already well equipped to produce cheap, green hydrogen because of its extensive solar resources, but the fact that its steel industry is mainly focused on the use of direct-reduced iron (DRI) modules and electric-arc furnaces puts it in a unique position in terms of producing the low-carbon steel that is becoming […]

MEPCO are a Middle Eastern packaging producer, with a production capacity of half a million tons of containerboard. We outline how they use Fastmarkets’ global insights to grow their business.