Türkiye's electric heater and blanket exports continue to enjoy a record trend as the country saw a 38% increase in electric heater exports and a 45.6% increase in electric blanket sales, recent data showed Wednesday.

The positive trend is linked to the worldwide increase in demand for the two sectoral needs amid the rise in natural gas and energy prices. Facing energy restrictions and problems in the natural gas supply, Europe particularly saw a notable increase in demand.

While Türkiye's exports increased by 15.4% on an annual basis in the January-October period, the rate of increase was three times higher than the average in the electric heater and blankets.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Mesut Öksüz, the chairperson of the Turkish Glassware Association (ZÜCDER), said that their sector is among the five sectors that have the highest foreign trade surplus in Türkiye. "The sector is one of the two sectors that has the most branding," he said.

Öksüz highlighted that glassware exports increase by 10%-15% every year, and the last year was closed with $6.1 billion. "Our target is to reach $7 billion (TL 130.40 billion) this year," he noted.

While expressing that 58% of the exports are made to the EU countries, Öksüz pointed out that the sector was positively affected by the natural gas crisis in Europe.

"In the first nine months of 2022, the electric heater exports reached $40 million with a 38% increase when compared to the same period in 2021. The highest export was made in August and September," he said.

According to the data of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB), electric blanket exports broke a record with a 45.6% increase in the first 10 months of 2022, reaching over $1.15 million.

The data showed that the highest increase was recorded in South Africa with 491.6%. The increase in South Africa was followed by Switzerland at 331.7%, Paraguay at 276.3% and Thailand at 261.4%.

Following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the energy crisis has been threatening the whole of Europe, which has caused anxiety in the continent's energy sector. The crisis has led some European countries to turn to the Turkish market, seeking alternatives amid the Russian energy strategy.