Turkish exports start 2017 with increase

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

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Turkey’s exports started the year with a significant increase, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Feb. 28.        

The country’s exports in the first month of the year stood at $11.3 billion, an 18.1 percent increase year-on-year. Imports also rose to $15.6 billion, a rise of almost 16 percent.    
    
However, TÜİK also revealed that Turkey’s foreign trade deficit increased by 10.3 percent in January year-on-year, amounting to $4.3 billion.        

Turkey’s exports to the EU, Turkey’s main trading partner, increased by 12 percent in January to reach over $5.3 billion.        

Germany, the EU’s largest economy, was the largest receiver of Turkish goods in the month, in trade worth over $1.1 billion. Iraq followed Germany with imports worth $684 million from Turkey.        

Turkey imported around $1.9 billion in goods from China in January. Russia was the second-largest exporter to the country, with almost $1.5 billion for the month. Germany came third with almost $1.2 billion.