Türkiye's September Exports Reached $26 Billion
TİM President Mustafa Gültepe: We increased our exports by 15.4 percent in September. Our exports in the first nine months reached $211 billion, while our 12-month exports rose to $283.7 billion. We are up 5.2 percent both in the nine-month period and on a rolling 12-month basis.
September export figures were announced in Istanbul by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) President Mustafa Gültepe.
TİM President Mustafa Gültepe recalled that they had entered 2026 with export targets of $282 billion in goods and $128 billion in services. Noting that annual goods exports had surpassed the $282 billion threshold as of September, Gültepe continued as follows:
“According to the General Trade System (GTS) records, we increased our exports by 15.4 percent in September to $26 billion. Our goods exports in the first nine months reached $211 billion, while our 12-month exports rose to $283.7 billion. We are up 5.2 percent both in the nine-month period and on a rolling 12-month basis. While we closed September with a 15.4 percent increase in export value, export volume declined by 0.6 percent. In the January-September period, export value rose by 5.2 percent, while volume contracted by 2 percent. We believe that export volume, as well as value, must increase. In September, exports increased in 19 of our sectors, while 7 recorded declines. In the sectoral ranking, automotive maintained its leadership with $3.9 billion in exports. Automotive was followed by chemicals and chemical products with $3.1 billion, electrical and electronics with $2.1 billion, jewellery with $1.512 billion, and steel with $1.486 billion. Our top three sectors recording the largest increases in exports were jewellery, chemicals, and electrical and electronics. The combined increase in exports by these three sectors approached $2.2 billion. According to TİM data, 56 of our provinces increased their exports last month. A total of 1,015 companies exported for the first time. Our top three export destinations were Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. We increased our exports to Switzerland by 599 percent, to the United States by 42.5 percent, and to Spain by 14.5 percent. Last month, we incurred a loss of approximately $235 million due to exchange-rate parity. Our unit export value stood at $1.74.”
Mustafa Gültepe also stated that seven-month figures for services exports had been finalised, adding that the period closed at $65.9 billion, almost unchanged from the same period last year.
“The new regulation on foreign exchange conversion support did not meet our expectations”
Assessing current developments as well, Mustafa Gültepe recalled that the implementation principles eagerly awaited by exporters regarding foreign exchange conversion support entered into force on 1 October. Gültepe continued as follows:
“The new regulation, which was intended to encompass a broader network of exporters, fell well short of meeting our expectations. Indeed, the system has become more complex and bureaucracy has increased. Yet the mechanism needs to be simpler. The applicable limit remains very low for companies with weak profitability and a limited number of employees. This creates the risk of a decline in the number of companies benefiting from the support. Moreover, even if the number of beneficiary companies is maintained, the support they receive could fall to 1 percent. Meanwhile, the gap between inflation and the exchange rate remains stubbornly wide. As of August, annual consumer inflation stood at 31.5 percent, while the increase in the dollar exchange rate remained at 17.2 percent. The gap exceeds 14 percentage points. While we had expected the 3 percent foreign exchange conversion support to be increased in order to minimise this disparity, we were confronted with an outcome we had not anticipated.”
“Although we face challenges in competitiveness, I believe we will exceed the $282 billion target”
Stating that they had entered the final quarter of the year with October, Mustafa Gültepe recalled that they needed to realise $71 billion in exports over the next three months to meet the 2026 target. Gültepe concluded his remarks as follows:
“Although we face challenges in competitiveness, I believe we will achieve more than $282 billion this year. We are continuously active in the field to connect our companies with new buyers in new markets. As TİM and the exporters' associations, last month we organised 19 trade delegations, 6 procurement delegations, participated in 40 fairs, and carried out 1 Ur-Ge activity. Under the leadership of our Ministry of Trade, we organised the Istanbul Global E-Export Summit. This month, we will be in the field with a total of 22 trade delegations. On 15–17 October, we will organise Türkiye Innovation Week at the Haliç Congress Center, with the participation of our esteemed President. I invite our entire export community and our young people to this gathering.”