Turkish exports boom in first quarter, but slowdown expected

Turkey’s cement sector exports increased by 54 per cent in the first three months of 2020, according to a statement by the Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (TÇMB).

The association has released data on the sector’s March-end export figures and the production figures from January.

Accordingly, the Turkish cement sector’s production increased by 31 per cent in January, reaching 3.6Mt.

In the first month of the year, the domestic sales of the cement sector increased by 16.8 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year and reached 2.5Mt.

Total exports of the sector increased by 54 per cent in the first quarter of the year, while export revenue increased by 33 per cent, to reach USD276m (TL1.85bn).

In the same period, cement exports increased by 57.1 per cent to 3.8Mt while clinker exports increased by 51 per cent to 4.2Mt.

The highest export growth in terms of volume were to the United States and Ghana.

According to TÇMB Chairman Tamer Saka, while the Turkish cement industry had started well in 2020 after 2019, when it contracted by about 30 per cent, he expected a decrease in the coming period due to the new coronavirus pandemic that has halted businesses and exports worldwide.