According to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in the first half of the current year Turkey's chrome ore exports decreased by 0.8 percent to 1.06 metric tons, while the revenue from these exports amounted to $216.4 million, up 1.5 percent, both compared to the first half of 2012. In the second quarter of this year, Turkey's chrome ore exports increased strongly over the first quarter but were down 5.2 percent compared to the same quarter in 2012, amounting to 622,491 mt.
On the other hand, in June this year Turkey's chrome ore exports amounted to 200,242 metric tons, falling 31.2 percent compared to May and down 15.8 percent compared to the same month of 2012. Meanwhile, in June the revenue generated by Turkey's chrome ore exports totaled $40.7 million, decreasing eight percent on year-on-year basis.
Turkey's largest and almost only export destination for chrome ore in the first half of this year was China, which received 990,107 mt, up 5.6 percent year on year. Sweden followed China in the period in question, importing 30,952 mt of chrome ore from Turkey, down 31.5 percent compared to the first half of the previous year.
On the other hand, Turkey exported 171,283 mt of manganese ore in the first half this year, almost triple year on year, while China received 71 percent of the country's total manganese ore exports. Turkey's nickel exports in the first half of the year amounted to 72,150 mt, up 0.3 percent over the first half of 2012.