Turkey's steel product exports to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region in the first eight months of 2011 declined by 17.82 percent year on year to 5.42 million metric tons, according to the data provided by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (IMMIB). Meanwhile, the region continued to be Turkey's major export market, accounting for 44.82 percent of its total steel product exports. However, in January-August 2010, this figure was recorded at 58.76 percent.
In the January-August period of this year, the UAE again ranked first among Turkey's steel product export markets with a steel product export volume amounting to 1,149,616 metric tons, down 18.03 percent year on year, followed by Iraq, with 890,828 metric tons, climbing by 21.35 percent.
In the given period, Turkey's steel product exports to Saudi Arabia, Turkey's second largest steel export market in the first eight months of 2010, amounted to 774,109 metric tons, down 28.65 percent, exports to Egypt totaled 579,841 metric tons, down 27.46 percent, and exports to Libya came to 62,503 metric tons, down 88.43 percent while Turkey's steel exports to Israel amounted to 465,717 mt up 15.30 percent all compared to the corresponding period of 2010.