By Yunus Girgin
ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's steel exports narrowed 2.8% year-on-year to reach 20.6 million tons in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, said the Turkish Steel Exporters Association on Friday.
The country earned $12.7 billion from steel exports last year, down 8.2% from 2019, the association said in a statement.
The European Union, Middle Eastern and North American countries were the biggest importers of Turkish steel last year.
Israel, Italy, Yemen, and Spain are the countries that imported most from Turkey during the same period.
Adnan Aslan, head of the Steel Exporters Association, said the European and North American markets shrank during the year, but thanks to Asian and South America markets' interest in Turkish steel, the loss was recovered.
Turkish steel sector has set a new target to maintain its active role in the global market, Aslan highlighted.
"The Turkish steel industry aims to reach approximately 23 million tons with a rise of 10%, while reaching $15 billion with an increase in value by 15% in 2021," Aslan said.