In the just-concluded 2018-19 fiscal year, India's steel products lost their original share in the traditional export market, but the import volume surged due to the expansion of domestic demand for high-quality foreign steel products, which made the country a net importer of steel for the first time in nearly three years.

India exported 6.36m tonnes of finished steel in the 2018-19 fiscal year to the end of March 2019, down 34 per cent year-on-year, according to preliminary official data recently available.Imports of finished steel rose 4.7 per cent to 7.84 million tonnes.

According to a person familiar with the matter of the government officials, as Europe and the United States last year as high steel tariffs and protectionist measures, such as China, Japan and South Korea and Indonesia traditional steel exporters have to other export markets in Europe and the path, so India exports steel was in the Middle East and Africa's market share has been eroded, India's steel exports.

The amount of steel India imports from the four Asian countries has increased as they have diverted some of their steel exports to India, the report said.

Sources said that high value-added steel products accounted for the bulk of India's steel imports, mainly including automotive steel and high-end electrical steel.

According to sources, the high value-added automotive steel flowing into India is mainly imported by foreign steel companies, such as posco, which have invested in factories in India.The source declined to be identified because he was not authorized to disclose the information to the media.

India's steel ministry has urged local carmakers to reduce imports of steel from Japan and South Korea to support domestic steelmakers.However, the quality of locally produced steel is not satisfactory to auto makers.

Meanwhile, Indian steel companies are calling on the government to impose higher tariffs on imported steel.

India's steel ministry did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the import and export figures.

Although government figures do not provide specific figures for stainless steel imports, industry sources say they have risen.

Imports of flat stainless steel from Indonesia have surged.Imports, which used to be less than 1, 000 tonnes a month until last year, surged to between 10, 000 and 11, 000 tonnes a month in March and April this year.Nonprofit India Stainless Steel Development Association (ipl) President K.K. Pahuja said.

Indian stainless steel producers claim that some Chinese products have been transshipped through Indonesia to avoid additional import duties imposed by India from 2017.

The latest trend shows a decline in imports of (stainless) steel from China, but an increase in imports from asean countries, suggesting that it is likely to circumvent existing countervailing duties by transshipment through a third country.India's largest producer of Stainless steel gold, Stainless steel company (Jindal Stainless), general manager of Abhyuday Jindal said.