ANKARA - Imports of consumer goods by Turkey rose by 106.3 percent in February and by 90.8 percent in the January-February period of 2004 and share of consumer goods in total imports by Turkey increased over to 12 percent.
According to the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) data, imports of consumer goods which had been 396 million U.S. dollars in February of 2003 rose 106.3 percent to 817 million U.S. dollars in February of 2004 and imports of consumer goods which had been 797.9 million U.S. dollars in the January-February period of 2003 increased 90.8 percent to 1 billion 522.6 million U.S. dollars in the first two months of this year. In parallel to increase in imports, the share of consumer goods in total imports which had been 9.7 percent in February of 2003 rose to 13.9 percent in February of 2004 and the share of consumer goods in total imports which had been 9.4 percent in the January-February period of 2003 rose to 12.9 percent in the first two months of this year.
There were significant increases in imports of capital and intermediary goods in the first two months of 2004. Imports of capital goods which had been 1 billion 43.4 million U.S. dollars in the first two months of 2003 increased 64.9 percent to 1 billion 720.4 million U.S. dollars in the same period this year. Imports of intermediary goods which had been 6 billion 585.6 million U.S. dollars in the first two months of 2003 increased 29.8 percent to 8 billion 548.4 million U.S. dollars in the same period this year. The share of capital goods in total imports increased from 12.3 percent to 14.5 percent while the share of intermediary goods in total imports reduced from 77.6 percent to 72.2 percent.
According to economic activities, imports of manufacturing industry products which constitute 78.9 percent of total imports rose 44.3 percent to 9 billion 344.3 million U.S. dollars and imports of mining and quarry products which constitute 14.8 percent of total imports increased 1.4 percent to 1 billion 757.5 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, imports of fishery products rose 1038.9 percent to 472 thousand U.S. dollars and imports of agricultural and forestry products rose 56.7 percent to 345.9 million U.S. dollars.
According to DIE statistics, 700.9 million U.S. dollars of capital goods, 3 billion 68 million U.S. dollars of intermediary goods and 4 billion 179.4 million U.S. dollars of consumer goods were exported in the January-February period of 2004. In this period, exports of capital goods rose by 27.5 percent, exports of intermediary goods increased by 16.2 percent and exports of consumer goods rose by 28.7 percent.
In the first two months of the year, exports of agricultural and forestry products increased 1.9 percent to 412.1 million U.S. dollars, exports by the manufacturing sector increased 24.7 percent to 7 billion 430.7 million U.S. dollars and exports of mining and quarry products climbed 26.9 percent to 71.3 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, exports of fishery products reduced 7.3 percent to 10 million 902 thousand U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, exports by Turkey to the European Union (EU) member countries in the first two months of 2004 rose 25 percent to 4 billion 288.5 million U.S. dollars and imports by Turkey from EU member countries increased 42.9 percent to 5 billion 189.7 million U.S. dollars.
In the same period, exports by Turkey to free areas increased by 33.6 percent and imports from free areas rose by 65.3 percent.
Foreign trade figures as of the January-February period in 2003 and 2004 are as follows: (USD million)
. EXPORTS difference IMPORTS difference
Goods 2003 2004 percent 2003 2004 percent
------------ ------- ------- ---- ------- ------- ----
Capital 549.9 700.8 27.5 1.043.4 1.720.4 64.9
Intermediary 2.640.9 3.068.0 16.2 6.585.6 8.548.4 29.8
Consumer 3.247.1 4.179.4 28.7 797.9 1.522.5 90.8
Other 9.2 17.8 93.4 57.1 52.0 -8.9
TOTAL 6.447.2 7.966.2 23.6 8.484.1 11.843.4 39.6
(MS-AY) 19.04.2004