Turkey's chemical exports reach over $11B in 8 months

Turkey's exports of chemical products reached $11.3 billion in the first 8 months of 2018, up 6.6 percent from the same period last year, an exporters' union announced on Wednesday.

Chemical exports reached $1.38 billion in August, down 5.9 percent from August 2017, according to Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association (IKMIB) data.

In the 8 month period, Turkey exported chemicals mostly to Germany, the U.S., Egypt, Iraq, Spain, the U.K., the Netherlands, Greece, and China.

On the sub-sector side, plastic and plastic products sector was at the top of the list, followed by mineral fuels and inorganic chemicals.

"With the government incentives, it is important to find new markets and invest for research and development activities," said IKMIB chairman Adil Pelister.

Turkey's overall exports between January and August rose 5.3 percent to reach $108.7 billion, according to Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) data.