The MIIT has issued a notice to curb the excessive growth of steel output nationwide and ordered commercial banks to cut or even halt loans to steelmakers with low efficient capacity, but what the effectiveness of the move would bring to small-sized mills remained unknown. There were two advantages in smaller mills in the face of the economic downturn. First, they can make a swift adjustment on what to produce in accordance with demand. For example, these mills produced more long products that enjoyed fast sales in the first quarter. Second, they can purchase iron ore at a lower price than that agreed by large mills under contract term. According to experts, by these two advantages, the plan may face resistances from smaller mills, which pulled down the market share of key producers to 76.59 percent in March from 79.81 percent a month earlier.