Turkey: Exports surge 15.8% year-on-year in June

By Tuba Sahin and Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's exports this June soared 15.8% from the same month last year, bouncing back from a decline due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Turkey’s trade minister said on Thursday.

Hitting some $13.5 billion in June, exports posted a month-on-month rise of 35% thanks to the normalization process, Ruhsar Pekcan told Anadolu Agency’s Editor's Desk in the capital Ankara.

Imports also rose 8.2% to $16.3 billion in the same period, Pekcan stressed.

The export-to-import coverage ratio was 82.6% in June 2020 versus 77.2% in June 2019, she added.

"Turkey has distinguished itself in both the economy and healthcare, sending strong signals of recovery from the crisis thanks to the dedicated work of our exporters, manufacturers, and industrialists," Pekcan said.

While the automotive industry stayed on top as Turkey's leading export sector, in June its exports fell 11% year-on-year but rose 80% month-on-month, she noted.