Turkish exports total 22 bln USD in Sept. amid challenges

ISTANBUL, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — Türkiye’s exports totaled 22 billion U.S. dollars in September, registering a 1.8 percent decline year-on-year and a slight decrease from the previous month, the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) reported on Tuesday.
In September, the European Union (EU) remained Türkiye’s leading export market, with its total imports from the country valued at 9.1 billion dollars.
Among all sectors, the automotive industry recorded the highest export value of 3.4 billion dollars in the month, marking a 20.9 percent increase year-over-year, according to data released by TIM last Monday.
Overall, Türkiye’s exports over the first nine months of 2024 increased by 3.2 percent year-on-year, reaching 192.8 billion dollars.
Commenting on the latest figures, Mustafa Gultepe, chairman of TIM, noted that Türkiye has generally maintained a plateau trend, despite some monthly fluctuations since the beginning of the year.
“This horizontal trend in exports can be largely attributed to the national conjuncture,” he said, pointing out that the widening gap between rising costs driven by high inflation and low exchange rates has continued to weaken the country’s competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Gultepe highlighted that escalating violence in the Middle East, particularly the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, has posed significant challenges to Türkiye’s export activities.
Despite these difficulties, Gultepe still expressed optimism for the upcoming period, saying Türkiye’s largest export market, the EU, is experiencing an economic recovery and is anticipated to expand imports of automotive products, ready-to-wear clothing, and steel products from Türkiye. ■