Turkish steel industry to focus on new markets this year

ISTANBUL

The Turkish steel producers will focus on new markets in Africa and South America in 2025, says Adnan Aslan, president of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association (ÇİB).

In terms of export volume, Romania, Italy, Yemen, Ukraine and Iraq were the top five markets for local steelmakers, Aslan told reporters.

Compared to 2023, the top five countries with the highest increase in exports recorded were Italy, Romania, the United Kingdom, Greece and Spain, according to Aslan.

The Turkish steel industry will focus more on Northern Africa, West Africa and South America in 2025, he said.

Aslan voiced optimism that exports to Israel and Palestine as well as Syria may gain momentum.

Steelmakers based in İskenderun have started to sell steel in Syria, he said, adding that steel exports to this country are only around 200,000 tons.

As the situation in the region normalizes, this figure can increase to 750,000 tons in the second half of the year, with a potential to boost steel exports to around 2 million tons, Aslan said.

“There is a significant opportunity [there] and if everything goes well, Syria will have an important impact on our export figures,” he said.

In terms of value, Türkiye’s steel exports rose by 8.7 percent in 2024 from the previous year to $16.1 billion, while in terms of volume steel shipments to foreign markets surged 21.8 percent to 17.7 million tons.

The steel industry aims to boost its exports by 5 percent to 18 million tons in 2025.