Türkiye’s Exports Climb 1.6 Percent Year-on-Year

(MENAFN) Türkiye's exports climbed to $21.06 billion in February, notching a 1.6% increase year-on-year, the country's trade minister announced Tuesday — a gain achieved against a backdrop of mounting global economic headwinds and geopolitical turbulence.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Ankara, Trade Minister Omer Bolat credited the $336 million year-on-year export gain to resilience in the face of challenging international conditions, while acknowledging the figure fell short of its potential ceiling.

Two commodity categories, he said, proved to be significant drags on performance: "There is a $415 million decrease in processed gold and jewelry exports, $515 million decrease in petroleum oils. A decrease of approximately $1 billion in these two categories has hindered our ability to break major records."

Zooming out to the broader two-month picture, Bolat noted that cumulative exports for the January–February period reached $41.4 billion — a 1.2% decline compared to the same stretch a year earlier.

On the import side, data released by the Trade Ministry showed February inflows totaling $30.27 billion, up 6.1% year-on-year, while the January–February combined import figure stood at $58.96 billion, reflecting a 3.1% annual increase — a widening trade gap that is likely to draw scrutiny as global supply disruptions and geopolitical pressures continue to reshape Türkiye's external trade dynamics.

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