Colombia exported 31, 512 tonne of ferronickel in the first quarter of this year, falling 20.6%, with a value of USD 181 million, falling 31.4%, both YoY, as announced by the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics. In March the country's ferronickel exports amounted to 13,654 tonne falling 1.7%, while the revenue from these exports was USD 79 million, down 18.2% compared to March 2012.

In March this year, Colombian iron and steel exports amounted to 22,222 tonne, falling 17.9%, worth USD 92 million, down 22%, both compared to the same month of 2012. In the first quarter of the year, Colombia's iron and steel export value fell by 28.6% compared to the same period of the previous year, coming to USD 228 million, totaling 64,864 tonne down 16.5% YoY.

Meanwhile, in the first quarter Colombia imported 631,410 tonne of iron and steel, rising by 10.2% YoY. The country's iron and steel import value decreased 5.4% YoY to USD 578 million in the first 3 months of the current year.