1 February 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Triggered by ever-increasing industrial activity, Turkish exports marked an encouraging beginning to 2012 with a 10 percent increase in January compared to the first month of a year before, amounting to $10.5 billion, according to the latest export figures.
The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) on Wednesday announced the results of their foreign trade report for the month of January. Discussing the details with reporters in Bursa, TİM President Mehmet Büyükekşi said Turkey exported industrial goods worth $8.7 billion, making up 83 percent of all exports in January. Of the sub-groups in industry, the automotive sector was responsible the highest amount of exports with $1.6 billion in January. Chemical goods exports followed with $1.3 billion and steel came in third with a $1.25 billion share of exports in the first four weeks of 2012. Turkey’s industrial production growth demonstrated an 8.4 percent gain overall in November 2011 compared to the same month of the previous year. Turkey’s total exports reached $135 billion in 2011, the peak level since the foundation of the modern republic. The government expects the country’s export volume this year to top $149 billion, or some 11 percent more than in 2011. Underlying this self-confidence, observers argue, is an accelerating diversification of Turkey’s export markets.
