Turkey’s exports and imports have both been negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with a marked decline observed over the course of April, according to the pro-government Daily Sabah.
Exports dropped by 41.38 percent year-on-year to $9 billion over the month, according to preliminary Trade Ministry data released on Monday.
Imports declined by 28.31 percent to nearly $12.9 billion, leading to a foreign trade deficit of $3.4 billion and a 45.11 percent rise.
The country’s foreign trade volume diminished by 34.31 percent year-on-year to $21.9 billion in April, the data indicated.
The ministry statement blamed the country’s export volume on the fallout caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic over the month.
Border quarantine restrictions as well as a market and demand shrinkage in European Union countries were the main culprits of the decline in exports over April, the statement said.
The head of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly, İsmail Gülle, stressed that exports to 53 countries had increased last month “despite the negative outlook in global trade.”
The top export markets for Turkish products were Germany with $862 million, the US with $606 million and Iraq with $564 million, he said in a written statement.
Exports to the EU, Turkey’s main trading partner, totaled $3.7 billion, a 41.6 percent drop in the country’s total exports, he added.
He noted that the country had also been capable of providing medical supplies to many countries around the world.
Gülle expressed thanks for the mobilization of face mask producers in the country, which managed to increase daily output from 1 million masks to more than 15 million.