İstanbul Kimyevi Maddeler ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği (İKMİB) data shows that chemical sector exports reached USD 1.638 billion in September 2020. Despite the effects of the pandemic, the sector's nine-month exports reached USD 13.1 billion as it works to match last year's figures.
Turkey's second-largest exporting sector, the chemical sector, recorded chemical substances and products exports of USD 13.1 billion in the January-September period, contracting 12.69 percent compared to the same period last year. In September, the chemical sector ranked first among sectors exporting to the most countries and regions, with exports to 206 countries and regions. Iraq, the United States, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom were the top five countries for chemical substance exports.
İKMİB Board Chairman Adil Pelister commented on the chemical sector export figures: "Our chemical sector exports in September this year contracted 1.15 percent to USD 1.6 billion compared to the same period last year. Compared to August, we saw an increase of approximately 18 percent.
In September, we were the sector exporting chemical substances and products to the most countries and regions with 206 countries and regions. Chemical exports to the United States and Spain, which ranked in the top ten in September, stood out with increases exceeding 100 percent. Our nine-month sector exports reached USD 13.1 billion. We continue production to minimize the effects of the pandemic and are working to close the gap in our exports. We have reduced the loss in exports to 12 percent over nine months. We hope that in the last quarter ahead, our expectation will be to minimize and close this gap.
With the implementation of the expectations and targets announced in the New Economic Program, we hope to complete this year positively and make a good start to the coming year. As the chemical sector, which supplies raw materials, semi-finished or finished products to other sectors, we will continue as always to be a pioneer in our country's development and work harder. The most important development expected by our exporters will be privileges granted to our sector in financial support and facilitating access to financing," Pelister said.
[caption id="attachment_104997" align="aligncenter"] Adil Pelister[/caption]
Iraq was the top export destination in September
Iraq was the country with the most exports in September. Other countries in the top ten following Iraq in September were the United States, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Romania, Israel, Greece and Russia.
Chemical exports to Iraq in September 2020 reached USD 105.412 million. The main exports to Iraq in September included "plastics and products," "essential oils, cosmetics and soap," "cleaning preparations," "paints, varnishes, inks and preparations," "pharmaceutical products," "miscellaneous chemical substances," "mineral fuels, mineral oils and products," "fertilizers," "adhesives, glues, enzymes" and "inorganic chemicals."
Seven of the top 10 countries increased chemical exports in the January-September period
The countries with the most chemical exports in the nine-month January-September 2020 period ranked in the top ten as Iraq, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, Romania and Belgium. During the same period, among these top 10 countries, exports to 7 countries increased except to the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
September saw the most exports of "plastics and products"
In September, "plastics and products" ranked first in chemical substances and products exports at USD 588.533 million. "Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products" ranked second with USD 248.586 million in exports, while "essential oils, cosmetics and soap" ranked third with USD 133.477 million in exports. Other sectors in the top ten following "essential oils, cosmetics and soap" were: "inorganic chemicals," "rubber and rubber products," "pharmaceutical products," "paints, varnishes, inks and preparations," "miscellaneous chemical substances," "cleaning preparations" and "organic chemicals."
In September, the greatest increase in subsectors was in miscellaneous chemical substances, while the largest contraction occurred in mineral fuels, mineral oils and products.
2020 monthly chemical exports
| MONTH |
2019 VALUE ($) |
2020 VALUE ($) |
CHANGE (%) |
| January |
1,540,769,133.16 |
1,683,406,191.93 |
9.26% |
| February |
1,647,497,384.81 |
1,495,029,381.12 |
-9.25% |
| March |
1,845,022,354.08 |
1,503,610,263.65 |
-18.50% |
| April |
1,774,310,712.84 |
1,271,023,704.34 |
-28.37% |
| May |
1,936,716,985.11 |
1,177,259,062.13 |
-39.21% |
| June |
1,297,575,601.09 |
1,426,013,472.41 |
9.90% |
| July |
1,737,961,972.54 |
1,585,035,261.47 |
-8.80% |
| August |
1,631,567,009.79 |
1,376,781,926.37 |
-15.62% |
| September |
1,657,439,182.68 |
1,638,435,226.12 |
-1.15% |
| TOTAL |
15,068,860,336 |
13,156,594,490 |
-12.69% |
Top countries for chemical exports in September 2020
| S. NO |
Country |
SEPTEMBER 2019 VALUE ($) |
SEPTEMBER 2020 VALUE ($) |
CHANGE VALUE (%) |
| 1 |
IRAQ |
104,271,377.52 |
105,412,664.12 |
1.09% |
| 2 |
UNITED STATES |
45,530,969.03 |
102,064,078.31 |
124.16% |
| 3 |
GERMANY |
66,845,326.94 |
78,909,844.97 |
18.05% |
| 4 |
SPAIN |
29,933,335.88 |
72,352,544.77 |
141.71% |
| 5 |
UNITED KINGDOM |
45,266,131.66 |
68,693,094.56 |
51.75% |
| 6 |
ITALY |
121,080,729.25 |
56,466,933.40 |
-53.36% |
| 7 |
ROMANIA |
37,916,455.39 |
47,562,258.35 |
25.44% |
| 8 |
ISRAEL |
34,524,206.46 |
44,365,544.49 |
28.51% |
| 9 |
GREECE |
35,115,142.17 |
43,934,635.09 |
25.12% |
| 10 |
RUSSIA |
37,182,460.43 |
40,806,270.80 |
9.75% |
Chemical sector subsectors in September 2020
| |
|
|
2019-2020 |
| |
SEPTEMBER 2019 |
SEPTEMBER 2020 |
% CHANGE |
| PRODUCT GROUP |
VALUE ($) |
VALUE ($) |
VALUE |
| PLASTICS AND PRODUCTS |
514,048,491 |
588,533,203 |
14.49% |
| MINERAL FUELS, MINERAL OILS AND PRODUCTS |
440,689,006 |
248,586,698 |
-43.59% |
| ESSENTIAL OILS, COSMETICS AND SOAP |
101,228,176 |
133,477,670 |
31.86% |
| INORGANIC CHEMICALS |
139,530,699 |
127,964,950 |
-8.29% |
| RUBBER AND RUBBER PRODUCTS |
104,068,156 |
118,786,254 |
14.14% |
| PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS |
86,814,114 |
100,207,349 |
15.43% |
| PAINTS, VARNISHES, INKS AND PREPARATIONS |
73,581,222 |
87,098,126 |
18.37% |
| MISCELLANEOUS CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES |
55,676,344 |
84,441,529 |
51.67% |
| CLEANING PREPARATIONS |
41,845,366 |
51,094,820 |
22.10% |
| ORGANIC CHEMICALS |
46,371,715 |
42,021,448 |
-9.38% |
| FERTILIZERS |
30,643,324 |
33,153,134 |
8.19% |
| ADHESIVES, GLUES, ENZYMES |
20,976,668 |
20,180,442 |
-3.80% |
| GUNPOWDER, EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES AND DERIVATIVES |
923,548 |
1,753,452 |
89.86% |
| PRODUCTS USED IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND CINEMATOGRAPHY |
963,395 |
1,055,891 |
9.60% |
| PROCESSED ASBESTOS AND MIXTURES, PRODUCTS |
19,236 |
57,292 |
197.84% |
| GLYCERIN, VEGETABLE PRODUCTS, DEGRA, OILY SUBSTANCES |
59,722 |
22,970 |
-61.54% |
| TOTAL |
1,657,439,183 |
1,638,435,226 |
-1.15% |
