According to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in the first quarter of 2013 Turkey's chrome ore exports increased by 7.5 percent to 445,459 metric tons, while the revenue for these exports amounted to $92 million, up 9.1 percent, both compared to the first quarter of 2012.
On the other hand, in March this year Turkey's chrome ore exports amounted to 71,415 metric tons, falling 56.5 percent compared to February and down 30.5 percent compared to the same month of 2012. Meanwhile, in March the revenue generated by Turkey's chrome ore exports totaled $16.7 million, decreasing 26.3 percent on year-on-year basis.
Turkey's largest and almost only export destination for chrome ore in the first quarter this year was China, which received 97 percent of the country's total chrome ore exports, amounting to 430,538 mt, up 23.9 percent year on year. Belgium followed China in the first quarter, importing 9,531 mt of chrome ore from Turkey, up 77 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.
On the other hand, Turkey exported 71,596 mt of manganese ore in the first three months, increasing significantly compared to the 11,237 mt recorded in the same period last year, while Turkey's nickel ore exports in the first quarter fell 33.3 percent year on year to 48,150 mt.