Turkey's exports rise by 22.8% in March

Turkey's exports rise by 22.8 percent to 11.7 billion U.S. dollars year-on-year in March 2011. Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) released on Friday exports figures for March 2011.

Exports also increased by 20.7 percent to 31.3 billion U.S. dollars year-on-year in the first three months of 2011. Most of exports were made from the auto industry with 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in March 2011.

Holding a press conference, TIM Chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi said that the figures of March were the highest ones after economic crisis as well as they had been the highest figures of the last 32 months.

Touching on automotive sector's importance, Buyukeksi said that export target of automotive sector for 2023 was 75 billion USD, adding that world's automotive trade was predicted to increase from 1.1 trillion USD to 3.1 trillion USD in 2023. He said that if Turkey reached its 75 billion USD target, Turkey's share in world trade would increase from 1.56% 2.40%.

Noting that the political incidents in Middle East were continuing, Buyukeksi said that Turkey's export to Mid-east countries increased in the first three months of 2011. He said that the export to these countries rose 33% to 5.7 billion USD in the first quarter of this year.

Buyukeksi said that Turkey's export to UAE rose 72%, Iran 48%, Iraq 40% and Saudi Arabia 16% in the first quarter of 2011.

Stressing that export to EU countries was increasing, Buyukeksi said that export to Germany rose 28%, Italy 24%, Britain 22% and France 1% in the first quarter.

Buyukeksi said that Turkey's export to developing countries was rising too, adding that it rose 53% to Russia, 52% to India, 28% to Brazil and six percent to China.

Turkish state ministers Zafer Caglayan and Faruk Celik also participated in the press conference.


/World Bulletin/