The market for plastic polymers in the African continent in the first quarter of 2021 partially reflected the world situation, with a generalized increase in prices but, at the same time, a fairly contained demand

The main reason for the moderation of requests for raw materials strongly depends on the pandemic situation in all countries and the scarce availability of the raw material that can be purchased.

The balance between supply and demand has led to price increases at Nigerian producer Eleme of $ 105 / ton for PE and $ 289 / ton for PE. the PP.

Nigeria is a strategic market for all producers of raw materials in the world who want to get the polymer in Africa, so much so that end users, in the face of increases , are monitoring the price trends of Middle Eastern producers.

Kenya, another important market for plastics, certainly the largest in East Africa, saw significant increases in LDPE and PPH, among more decisive since 2015.

HDPE for film increased by $ 60-70 / ton while LDPE, again for film, increased by $ 80/90 / ton , with final prices per ton between $ 1230-1250 / mt for film and injection HDPE and $ 1520-1550 / mt for LDPE film material.

As for the PPH raffia and injection, they have increased between 90 and 100 $ / ton, with final prices at 1420-1440 $ / ton for PPH from raffia and $ 1430-1440 / mt for PPH from injection all CFR Mombasa.

Even in Kenya the health situation following COVID 19 has slowed down negotiations and purchases for production.

Algeria, which is a very important market in terms of consumption in North Africa, has seen an increase in LDPE and HDPE between 20 and 40 $ / ton for polymers from Saudi Arabia, while for PPH the price increases compared to January were between $ 70 and $ 100 / ton.

The major concerns that are found among Algerian industrial operators who use plastic polymers is the scarcity of supply compared to the production needs of the factories.

The South African market, the most important in the southern area of the continent, is in a sort of balance between supply and demand, both weak. As regards the PE arriving from the main Saudi supplier, increases between 70 and 80 $ / ton are seen for HDPE and LLDPE for film (1250-1280 $ / ton), while between 90 and 100 $ / ton Ton for the LDPE film (1530-1560 $ / ton).

Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.