Eastern province Tunceli shut out of exports list

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

While Istanbul increased its exports by 17 percent to $47.3 billion, the eastern province of Tunceli did not exported a single item in the year’s first eight months. DHA photo

A total of 47 Turkish provinces improved their exports in the first eight months of the year, while 33 of them saw a decline. Tunceli, the less developed eastern province that is experiencing security problems along with many others in the region, posted zero exports, meaning it could not even be included in the comparison list.

In terms of regions, Eastern Anatolia posted the smallest exports at $561,000, which is 3.1 percent below its 2011 figures.

Exports from Istanbul, the heart of Turkish economy, increased 17 percent in the given period to nearly $47.3 billion, according to official data gathered by Anatolia news agency.

İzmir, Kocaeli and Bursa followed with $9.1 billion, 8.3 billion and 7.2 billion respectively.
İzmir is the most industrialized city on Turkey’s Aegean coast and it is the province with the third highest population in the country. Its port exports fuel products and cars along with many other items.
The northwestern province of Kocaeli, neighboring Istanbul and Bursa, is the production base of a number of local and international car makers, and is also home of Tüpraş, Turkey’s large oil refiner.

The province of Bursa is one of the Turkish textile capitals.

The Marmara region in the northwest unsurprisingly topped Turkey’s exports list, with $65 billion in the first eight months, a 9.6 percent increase from last year.

Black Sea no different

Yozgat, a relatively undeveloped Central Anatolian province, recorded impressive export figures, with a 120 percent increase from last year to a still moderate $6.9 million.

Gümüşhane and Bayburt, two small Black Sea provinces with no coastline, experienced sharp declines in exports. Both are facing a dramatic migration, and Gümüşhane’s exports stood at only $77,000 in the first eight months of the year.

Exports from Southeastern Anatolia accounted for $4.8 billion. Gaziantep, the industrial capital of the region, exported more than $3.5 billion worth of goods with a 17 percent increase from last year. This impressive figure was achieved despite the ongoing restlessness in Syria, generally seen as Turkey’s gate to Middle Eastern trade.

Hatay, another south province on the Syrian border, posted a 6 percent decline in eight-month exports.

Still, the province sold around $1.28 billion worth of goods, meaning that it, along with Gaziantep, dominated the regional volume.

Turkey’s total exports in the given period exceeded $100 billion, registering a 13 percent increase from the first eight months of 2011.