Imports of the pipes grew almost 50% in 2004, while domestic sales rose only 8%, the ministry said of the reason behind the decision.
"We are getting ready to submit a resolution on protectionist measures to the government," Galina Balandina, a high-ranking ministry official, told journalists, without specifying details.
The ministry said it would propose quotas on large-diameter pipe imports in fall 2005 for suppliers including Ukraine, Germany, and Japan. Developing countries would be exempt from the measures, the ministry said.
The ministry said it had looked into the import situation following a request from Russia's Pipe Industry Foundation, and found that pipe imports had grown in recent years. Prices for domestic pipes increased faster than those for foreign-made pipes, substantially retarding sales of Russian pipes, the ministry said.
