According to the preliminary foreign trade statistics compiled by the Turkish Statistical Agency and Turkish Customs, in April 2009 Turkey's total exports fell by 33.3 percent to $7.576 billion compared to April 2008, while the country's imports dropped by 43.4 percent year on year to $10.119 billion. In the same period, the trade deficit fell by 61 percent from $6.525 billion to $2.543 billion.
Meanwhile in April 2009, Turkey's export-import ratio increased to 74.9 percent, from 63.5 percent in April 2008.
During the period in question, the largest volume of exports was accounted for by land vehicles and their components at $854 million, followed by machines, mechanical devices, boiler and their components/spares at $664 million, and finally by iron and steel at $628 million.
Thus, Turkey's iron and steel exports in the January-April period of the current year totaled $2.701 billion, down 32.1 percent year on year from $3.976 billion while the exports of the articles of iron and steel amounted to $1.407 billion, down 15.9 percent year on year from $1.673 billion. At the same time, during the first four months of 2009, exports of ores, slag and ash amounted to $121.170 million, down 61.3 percent year on year from $312.88 million.
In April 2009, the largest volume of imports was recorded in mineral fuels and mineral oils at $1.899 million, followed by machines, mechanical devices, boiler and their components/spares at $1.293 million, electrical machines and devices at $925 million, and finally by iron and steel at $795 million.
In the first four months of 2009, Turkey's iron and steel imports totaled $3.072 billion, down 59.6 percent year on year from $7.600 billion, while the articles of iron and steel imports amounted $445.609 million, down 38.4 percent year on year from from $723.202 million. Meanwhile imports of ores, slag and ash amounted $430.719 million, up 184.2 percent year on year from $151.567 million.