Turkey's carpet exports rise 8.5% in first two months

Carpet exports from Turkey surged 8.5 percent to US$ 355.5 million, during the first two months of 2014, as per the data released by the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Association (ITKIB).

According to the ITKIB data, during the months of January and February this year, Turkey exported carpets worth $355.5 million, whereas the country exported carpets worth $327.5 during the same months last year.

Sub-sector wise, the highest exports were made from the machine-made carpets sector with exports amounting to $341.6 million during the months of January and February, 2014, registering a rise of 9.7 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, exports from the hand-made carpets sector declined 14.1 percent to $13.9 million during the first two months of this year.

Saudi Arabia was the main destination for Turkish carpet exports during the months of January and February, totaling $57.7 million, accounting for 16.3 percent of the overall carpet exports from the country.

The US ranked second with Turkey exporting carpets worth $36.5 million to the country during the first two months of 2014, followed by Libya with $35.6 million, Germany with $26.7 million and Iraq with 13.7 million.

Last year, the country exported carpets amounting to $2.196 billion, indicating a surge of 9.3 percent compared to 2012, as per the ITKIB data.