Mining products exports increased by 13.8% in the first 9 months of this year compared to the same period of 2021 and reached $4 billion 988 million 864 thousand.
According to the information compiled by AA correspondent from the data of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM), Turkiye’s exports in January-September 2022 increased by 17% compared to the same period of the previous year and reached $188 billion 224 million 181 thousand.
During the said period, mining products worth $4 billion 988 million 864 thousand were exported to 191 countries. The share of mining products in Turkiye’s total exports was 3%.
While mining products were exported from 81 cities of Turkiye in the first 9 months of the year, Istanbul realized $1 billion 367 million 573 thousand of total foreign sales. This figure corresponded to 24.4% of the sector’s total exports.
In the January-September period, exports of metallic ores on the basis of product group increased by 4.55% to $1 billion 706 million 572 thousand. In the first 9 months of last year, exports were $1 billion 632 million 327 thousand.
Within the same periods, natural stone exports increased by 2.72% from $1 billion 562 million 860 thousand to $1 billion 605 thousand 351. The rate of increase in industrial minerals was 30.26%. Industrial mineral exports, which were $792 thousand 385 in the January-September period of 2021, reached $1 million 32 thousand 188.
In the ranking of the countries with the highest exports, China took the first place, USA took the second place and Bulgaria took the third place.
Exports to China decreased by 18% to $1 billion 56 million. Exports to the USA increased by 22.13% from $418 thousand 918 to $511 thousand 615.
Exports to Bulgaria, which ranks third in the ranking of countries, increased by 105.14% from $149 thousand 323 to $306 thousand 327. While exports to Italy, which ranked fourth, increased by 52.98%, exports to Spain, which was in fifth place, increased by 5.77%, from $210 thousand 260 to $ 222 thousand 383, from $156 thousand 319 to $239 thousand.
“Turkiye has 80 of the 90 mineral types in the world”
Eyup Batal, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association (IMIB), stated that they continue to work as the mining sector in Turkiye, and said that in the first 9 months of 2022, the exports of the mining sector reached the level of $5 billion with an increase of 13.79%.
Pointing out that these export levels are not sufficient for Turkiye and the sector, Batal said, “Turkiye has 80 of the 90 mineral types in the world. In other words, we are a country rich in mining. The share of mining in Turkiye’s total gross national product is 1.3%. The share of mining-rich countries in the world’s gross national product is 7% on average.
Batal pointed out that Turkiye’s annual mineral exports reached $6 billion, and said, “If Turkiye can use its potential in the mine, if the share of mining in the gross national product rises to the world average of 7%, the export of the sector will reach $30 billion at once. With this export figure, we will be the sector that exports the most in Turkiye. Thus, we get rid of foreign dependency in terms of raw materials.”
Source: Trthaber / Translated by Irem Yildiz