Exports of the furniture, paper and forest products sector increased by 13% compared to the same period last year, reaching $653 million in February.
According to the statement made by the Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters Association, the exports of the sector, which exported $602 million in January, increased to $653 million in February.
Based on the January-February period, the highest export was to Iraq with $179 million, followed by the USA with $61 million and the United Kingdom with $60 million. The countries outside the top 3 are Germany, Morocco, Iran, France, Libya and Romania.
Erkan Ozkan, President of the Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters Association, whose views on the subject were included in the statement, stated that last year was difficult for them due to both the stagnation in the global economy and the tensions in neighboring countries.
Ozkan said, “However, we started the second century of our Republic with great hopes. Maintaining the successful export performance we achieved in January in February made all of us smile and gave us hope for the coming months.”
“We want to exceed $8 billion by the end of the year”
Erkan Ozkan stated that they want to exceed the $8 billion export threshold this year by increasing the $653 million figure they reached in February in the coming months, and made the following evaluations:
“For this purpose, we are trying to move forward with confident steps while continuing to work intensively. While we are trying to expand our markets and increase our presence in existing markets in line with our export strategy, we are also trying to increase our production volume. We follow the opportunities that will arise in the sector and strive to ensure that our exporters can make successful moves. We aim to provide maximum efficiency to our exporters through country visits and fairs throughout the year.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz