Aegean miners set export growth record in Aegean Region

Investment in Critical Minerals is Essential

Turkey's mining sector, which brings underground riches into the economy with an environmentally conscious approach under the motto "Our Life is Mining," earned USD 2.843 billion in foreign currency for Turkey in the first half of 2024. The Aegean Mining Exporters Association, which leads Turkey in natural stone exports, increased its exports from USD 527 million to USD 623 million with a 20% export increase in the January–June period of 2024, becoming the top export growth performer among Aegean Exporter Associations. İbrahim Alimoğlu, Member of the Sectors Council of the Turkish Exporters Council and President of the Aegean Mining Exporters Association, underlined that despite high input costs and low exchange rates in the first half of 2024, the mining sector achieved significant success through dedicated work. Describing how they organized marketing activities around the world in the first half of 2024 to increase mining sector exports and worked with dedication, Alimoğlu said: "For the first time in 2024, we organized a national pavilion at the KINTEX fair in South Korea. We conducted our 11th national pavilion organization at the Xiamen International Natural Stone Fair in China in 2024. We conducted a sectoral trade delegation to Saudi Arabia. At the Izmir Marble Fair, we welcomed natural stone importers from around the world to Turkey. As a result of all these efforts, we had a successful period in the first half of 2024. We will continue our work in the second half of the year to achieve our export target of USD 1.25 billion set for the end of 2024." Stating that the natural stone sector accounts for USD 328 million, representing 53% of the Aegean Mining Exporters Association's total exports, Alimoğlu continued: "While processed natural stone products accounted for USD 261 million in our natural stone exports, block natural stone exports totaled USD 67.5 million. The share of our processed natural stone exports reached 80%. Our metallic ore exports increased by 55% from USD 172 million to USD 268 million. Metallic ores were the driving force behind our export growth." Critical Minerals Will Be the Key to Green Transition Touching on the fact that the EU Green Deal put forward by the European Union in 2019 to stop climate change and create a greener world will be a priority agenda item for the mining sector in the coming period, just as it is for the world, Alimoğlu said: "The key to green transition is critical minerals. I would like to give an example here. Copper is critical, especially for electrical transformation. According to the International Energy Agency, USD 125–130 billion in new copper mining investments should be made annually, yet annual investment volumes have been declining since 2012. In 2023, it remained at the level of USD 104 billion. Copper is just one example in this regard. When we think broadly, the expected increase in demand will be an opportunity for our country, which has rich mineral deposits." He concluded his remarks thus. China, United States and Spain Lead in Mineral Exports The Aegean Mining Exporters Association exported mining products to 143 countries in the first half of 2024, with China topping the list with demand of USD 154 million. EMEA members increased their exports to China by 167% from USD 57 million in the January–June period of 2023 to the same period in 2024. Mining exports from the Aegean Region to the United States increased by 12% from USD 100 million to USD 112 million, while mining exports to Spain rose by 23% from USD 41 million to USD 50 million.