March Sees Record Exports

Export Record Set in March Turkey achieved a record monthly export figure in its Republican history in March with USD 23.6 billion. Exports over the 12-month period reached USD 255.7 billion. March foreign trade data were announced at a meeting in Ankara attended by Minister of Trade Mehmet Muş. Mustafa Gültepe, President of Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), said in his remarks at the meeting that they were focused on solving humanitarian problems in the earthquake-affected region, particularly housing, while also working to get production back on its feet. Gültepe, noting that they carefully examined the problems of producers and exporters in the region and conveyed their requests to the Ministry of Trade, continued as follows:

Exports Increased 4.4 Percent Compared to Same Month Last Year

"While we are working to heal the wounds of earthquake victims, the continuation of production and exports is of great importance to us. The performance we would deliver especially in March was crucial. Our exporters passed this major test successfully. According to General Trade System (GTS) records, we completed March with USD 23.6 billion in exports. We are up 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year. With this result, we also reached the highest monthly export value in our Republican history. Our exports in the first quarter, covering January-March, increased 2.5 percent to reach USD 61.6 billion, while our exports over the last 12 months stood at USD 255.7 billion. Last month, our automotive sector provided the highest contribution to our exports with USD 3.3 billion. The other sectors in the top five ranked as follows: chemicals with USD 2.9 billion, ready-made clothing with USD 2 billion, electrical electronics with USD 1.5 billion, and steel with USD 1.4 billion. In March, 38 provinces increased their exports. The top five provinces with the highest exports were Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Izmir, and Ankara. Last month, 1,903 companies joined our export family. Our unit export value rose to USD 1.67, an increase of 24.4 percent compared to the same month last year."

Germany, USA and Italy Lead Turkey's Export Destinations

Gültepe reported that Turkey's top export destinations were Germany, USA, Italy, United Kingdom, and Iraq, and emphasized that export records were broken to 10 countries, including Poland, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia. Recalling that as TİM they are working with the vision of bringing Turkey into the top 10 exporting countries, Gültepe continued: "While developing our strategies in line with this vision, we want to further expand our export markets. With the coordination of our Ministry, we continue our trade delegations. In March, we organized trade delegations to 11 countries. We conducted our delegations in Colombia, Ghana, Japan, Ethiopia, Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, Canada, USA, Morocco, and Vietnam. This month we will visit Panama, Costa Rica, and Azerbaijan. In short, we are continuing trade diplomacy uninterruptedly and without distance limitations. We aim to complete the year with 100 trade delegations. Additionally, we will host 45 buying delegations in our country by year-end, God willing. I would like to reiterate our call to all our companies to participate in trade delegations." he said. Recalling that they start each year with the target of increasing exports by at least 10 percent, Mustafa Gültepe added that they turned an important corner in the first quarter and believed they would reach their target by year-end.