Turkey’s mining export boom

Turkey’s mining sector exports jumped to $3.3 billion over the first eight months of 2013, up 26.5% from the same period in 2012, according to the Istanbul Minerals and Metals Exporters’ Association.

Looking just at the month of August, exports rose over 17% year-over-year, eclipsing $401 million in value.

Not surprisingly, China is the top importer of Turkey’s mining goods, gobbling up some $1.66 billion worth of “natural stones, copper ores, chrome ores and precious metal ores.”

China’s appetite for Turkish ores has not correlated to the country’s recent economic slowdown: mining imports from Turkey are up 51% year-over-year.

Eldorado Gold’s Efemcukuru project in Izmir Province.