EIB’s august exports exceeded USD 1.5 billion

In August, Türkiye’s exports followed a similar trend, decreasing by 1% from USD 22 billion to USD 21.794 billion.

Exports of industrial sectors increased by 2%, rising from USD 804 million to USD 821 million, while agricultural sectors brought USD 602 million into the country. The mining sector recorded exports of USD 108 million.

Steel sector widens its lead at the top

Among the 12 exporters’ associations under the EIB, the Aegean Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters’ Association increased its exports by 20% in August, climbing from USD 199 million to USD 239 million, widening its lead over the Aegean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters’ Association from USD 55 million to USD 80 million on a monthly basis.

The Aegean Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters’ Association’s (EDDMİB) exports over the past 12 months increased by 7%, reaching USD 2 billion 547 million. The association has nearly matched the export record of USD 2 billion 565 million set in 2022. It aims to maintain its growth trend in September and break a new annual export record.

USD 108 million in exports from Aegean miners
The Aegean Minerals Exporters’ Association recorded USD 108 million in exports, increasing 4% from USD 864 million to USD 899 million in the January–August period, and 11% annually from USD 1.211 billion to USD 1.343 billion.

AEHGEA ranks fifth
Labor-intensive sectors are struggling due to Türkiye’s ongoing disinflation program, reflected in the performance of the Aegean Apparel and Ready-to-Wear Exporters’ Association. Once a regular in the top three, AEHGEA ranked fifth in August with exports of USD 100.6 million.

Exports of the Aegean region reach USD 2.665 billion
According to data from the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly, the Aegean region generated USD 2.665 billion in exports in August, a 1.5% increase compared to USD 2.624 billion in August 2024.

In the first eight months of 2025, the region’s exports rose 3.4%, climbing from USD 20.136 billion to USD 20.832 billion.

İzmir alone accounted for 54.5% of the region’s exports in August, with exports totaling USD 1.45 billion. The city’s two free zones contributed USD 295 million to the city’s total exports.

Manisa followed İzmir with exports of USD 431 million, reaching USD 3.362 billion in the January–August period.

Denizli raised its exports by 5.4%, from USD 388.7 million to USD 409.4 million in August, closely trailing Manisa. Its exports rose 8% in the first eight months, from USD 2.87 billion to USD 3.102 billion.

Muğla, Türkiye’s leader in aquaculture exports, saw August exports grow 11%, from USD 94 million to USD 103.2 million.

Balıkesir increased exports 19%, from USD 78 million to USD 93 million, while Aydın posted a 9% increase, from USD 77 million to USD 84 million.

Afyonkarahisar brought in USD 34.3 million in exports. Kütahya achieved the highest growth rate among Aegean provinces, climbing 26%, from USD 27 million to USD 34 million. Uşak’s exports remained flat at USD 25 million.

Germany, the US, and Italy are top export markets
EIB members exported to 186 countries in August. Germany ranked first with USD 157 million, up 9%. Exports to the second-largest market, the US, fell 20% to USD 113 million, while exports to Italy, ranked third, increased 20%, from USD 80.5 million to USD 97 million. Morocco recorded the sharpest growth, surging 242%, from USD 15.2 million in August 2024 to USD 52.1 million in 2025.

Eskinazi: “We are moving away from our export targets”
EIB Coordinator Chair Jak Eskinazi emphasized that both Türkiye’s overall exports and EIB’s August exports fell short of August 2024 levels, despite currency parity support. He noted that to meet the year-end export target of USD 280 billion, Türkiye needs monthly exports of USD 25.5 billion over the remaining four months, which “seems unlikely given the current outlook.”

Eskinazi stated that Türkiye’s disinflation policies do not adequately support industrial and agricultural exporters, adding:

“We fully support efforts to reduce inflation to single digits, like everyone else in society. However, a model designed to curb inflation at the expense of industrialists and exporters will not benefit Türkiye. Recent growth figures show that the 4.8% growth was largely driven by household consumption, reconstruction in earthquake-hit areas, and sectors linked to construction, which is not sustainable. Türkiye should grow through production and exports. China and India support their exporters with unique methods, making them more competitive, while Türkiye undermines its exporters’ competitiveness by keeping exchange rates well below inflation. Türkiye must implement support mechanisms to sustain the competitiveness of its 150,000 exporters. Otherwise, the recent sharp decline in the number of exporters will worsen, bankruptcies will rise, and employment will fall. Let us remember: our motto is ‘Production is our work, export is our strength.’”

 EXPORTS OF AEGEAN PROVINCES