Turkey's industrial exports reached the highest monthly export figure in history in September, totaling $15.87 billion (TL 141.32 billion), according to official data.

Turkey's overall exports increased by 30% last month compared to the same period of 2020 and reached $20.78 billion, an Anadolu Agency (AA) report said Friday, citing data by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

Industrial exports, meanwhile, jumped by 29.8% year-on-year. Turkey's industrial exports accounted for 76.4% of total exports last month.

In September, agricultural exports increased by 13.2% to $2.74 billion, and mining exports increased by 39.1% to $584.37 million.

The steel sector made the highest contribution to the record exports seen in the industrial sector.

The steel industry foreign sales were worth $2.61 billion in September. It has left behind the automotive industry, which generally took the lion’s share in Turkey’s industrial exports.

In the same period, the automotive industry’s exports worth $2.47 billion; chemicals and products worth $2.29 billion; ready-made clothing and apparel exports worth $1.95 billion; electrical electronics exports worth $1.28 billion; ferrous and non-ferrous metals worth $1.15 billion; textiles and raw materials worth $945 million; machinery and parts worth $876 million; air conditioning industry worth $551 million; jewelry sector worth $501 million; cement glass ceramics and earthenware worth $420 million; carpet industry worth $272 million; defense and aerospace industry worth $252 million; leather and leather products worth $173 million; ship and yacht industry worth $118 million and other industrial products worth $12 million.

Some 13 of the 16 sectors within the industrial group increased their exports. In this period, the sector with the highest increase in exports in the industrial group was the steel sector with a 141% jump.