Turkey's mineral exports increased by 48% in the January-September period of 2021, compared to the same period of last year, reaching $4.38 billion, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said on Tuesday.
China, the US and Spain were the top three exporting countries, with Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Albania and Serbia newly added to the list of Turkey's export markets.
The contribution of the mining industry to the gross domestic product of Turkey has massively increased from the 11 billion Turkish liras in 2009, to the 59.2 billion liras in 2020, Donmez said.
"Turkey has the largest reserves in the world in boron, perlite, trona, pumice, bentonite, pyrophyllite, feldspar, zeolite, barite, magnesite, chrome, lignite, gypsum, marble and cement raw materials," he said.
Of the 90 mineral types produced around the world, Turkey has 80, he said.
Technological advancements and further research and development are necessary to reap the full benefits of such large reserves, he added.
