KONYA Trade Chamber President Selçuk Öztürk evaluated Konya’s foreign trade data. Öztürk highlighted that the city contributes significantly to the country’s economy with its potential in agriculture, livestock, and defense industry. He mentioned that Konya’s exports in 2023 increased by 1.84% to reach 3.336 billion dollars. Öztürk emphasized that Konya is one of Turkey’s most important cities in exports, ranking as the 10th city with the highest annual exports. Over the past 10 years, Konya’s exports have increased by 123.75% and its foreign trade volume has exceeded 5 billion dollars. The city’s foreign trade surplus, which is an important parameter in its export performance, reached approximately 1.59 billion dollars. The top 5 countries to which Konya had the highest foreign trade surplus are Iraq, the USA, Germany, the Russian Federation, and Italy.
Öztürk stated that Konya stands out in terms of both country and product variety in exports. He mentioned that Konya is a city that gives a foreign trade surplus to major export countries. Konya exports to 199 countries and regions, making it the 7th city with the highest number of countries among the provinces. Regarding product variety among provinces, Konya ranks 10th with 96 different products. Looking at the number of firms exporting over the years, there is a significant increase each year. Last year, the number of exporting firms increased by 2.05% compared to the previous year, reaching 3,483. Despite ranking 6th in terms of the number of firms in the export family, the city is 10th in terms of the actual export figures.
In the first quarter of the year, exports reached 851.3 million dollars. Öztürk stated, “In March, while Turkey’s exports decreased by 4.1% compared to the same month last year, Konya’s exports increased by 0.1% to 309.75 million dollars. In the first quarter of 2024, our exports increased by 6.6% to reach 851.3 million dollars. The Konya automotive industry saw the highest exports in March, with a 15% increase, reaching 80 million dollars.” He also added that they expect high performance in exports from the automotive industry, machinery, air conditioning industry, and defense industry in 2024.
