$1 billion of tobacco exports

The value of Turkey’s exports of leaf tobacco and tobacco products exceeded $1 billion last year, 10 percent up on the value of such exports during 2015, according to a story in the Daily Sabah.

The value of tobacco product exports amounted to $652 million, while the value of tobacco leaf exports reached $358 million.

The tobacco product exports comprised mainly cigarettes sent to Middle Eastern countries, which were worth about $501 million.

Iran was the biggest importer of Turkish cigarettes in 2016, followed by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The US was the main export destination for leaf tobacco produced in Turkey, followed by Belgium and Russia.

Tobacco exports generated the highest foreign currency income for Turkey after hazelnut exports, said the head of Aegean Exporters’ Association Mahmut Özgener.

Özgener added that Turkey had modern tobacco processing facilities and that if legislation were altered so that Turkey could process tobacco imported from overseas, the value of Turkey’s tobacco exports would soon reach $1.5 billion.