Turkey sees surge in steel exports in 2018

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's steel exports rose 20.8 percent year-on-year to reach 21.4 million tons in 2018, according to the Turkish Steel Exporters Association on Tuesday.

The country earned $15.6 billion from steel exports last year, up 36 percent from 2017, the association said in a statement.

The European Union, Middle Eastern and North American countries were the largest importer of Turkish steel last year.

Steel exports to the U.S., Iraq, Algeria and the UAE saw the highest increase during the same period.

Adnan Aslan, head of the Steel Exporters Association, said the country has successfully passed 2018 -- which was marked by the protectionist measures – thanks to Asian market's interest in Turkish steel.

"The sector will be under strain especially in the first half of this year, as China will head for an aggressive export policy and the protectionism trend will continue in 2019," Aslan said.