UPDATE - Turkish exports break records in June, first half of year

UPDATES WITH MORE FIGURES

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey saw record high exports in both June and the first half of 2021 thanks to the country's strong performance since the beginning of this year, the trade minister announced Friday.

Turkish exports reached $19.8 billion in June, up 47% from the same month last year, Mehmet Mus said, citing preliminary foreign trade figures.

Surging 40% year-on-year, Turkey's exports hit $105 billion in the first six months of this year, Mus added.

The country's imports also posted an annual rise of 27.5% to $126.1 billion in January-June, he stressed.

The exports/imports coverage ratio went up 7.3 percentage points to 83.2 during the same period.

"Our foreign trade deficit narrowed 11.4% from the same period of last year, reaching $21.2 billion," Mus added.

The number of exporter companies also climbed in this period, up 12%, Mus said.

Turkey's trade in its local currency hit 15.5 billion Turkish lira ($1.9 billion) in January-June.

Last month, Turkish imports jumped 39% on a yearly basis to $22.7 billion, according to Trade Ministry data.