State-owned steel producer SAIL says the ongoing conflict in West Asia is expected to have only a marginal impact on its steel prices. SAIL’s newly appointed chairman, Ashok Panda, explains that the company imports certain raw materials from the region, including limestone sourced from Dubai, and that shipping and freight costs could rise if routes are disrupted. He notes that the landed cost for some inputs is expected to increase, with cost-and-freight (CFR) levels moving higher from about USD 23–24 to roughly USD 35. Despite this, Panda says the overall effect on sellable steel prices will be limited—on the order of Rs 100–200—because the company focuses on maintaining continuous operations rather than only cost changes. SAIL is also said to be establishing alternative shipping routes to keep raw-material supplies uninterrupted during the crisis. The company’s assessment is that availability of inputs during periods of instability matters most to sustain production.