Exports up 12,5 pct in January, raising hopes of exceeding 2010 target

Continuing its upward movement, Turkey's exports totaled $7.91 billion in the first month of the year, a 12.52 percent rise year-on-year, according to Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) data, increasing hopes of exceeding the assembly's 2010 target of $111 billion. The January export figures were announced by TİM head Mehmet Buyukeksi yesterday at a press conference in the eastern Anatolia province of Erzurum . According to the data, exports for the 12 months preceding the end of January totaled $97.96 billion, down 21.6 percent compared to the same period a year prior, while exports for January were up 12.52 percent to $7.91 billion compared to last year. Assessing the positive trend, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan said the figures promise more such rises to come. "I expect to exceed both the $107.5 billion target of the medium-term economic program and TIM's $111 billion target," he said in a statement. Turkey 's exports to 121 countries rose in the first month of the year, with the greatest increase seen in exports to China , said Caglayan. But figures were below those of December, which he attributed to seasonal factors. January export figures are 16.8 percent less than December's, according to the TIM data, while this figure is 21.3 percent according to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat).