Steel roll output in January increased by 5.1% on the year to 49,180 tonnes.

Uzmetkombinat uses steel scrap for smelting, supplied by other Central Asian states, and supplies have dwindled lately.

The steel smelter invested US$9.5 million in modernization in 2008, which accounts for the increase in output.

The smelter produced 674,300 tonnes of steel in 2008, 4.5% more than in 2007, and 643,100 tonnes of steel roll, an increase of 3.8% on the year.