Ruhsar Pekcan

Turkey has launched a financial support package to cushion exporters from the impact of coronavirus, Ruhsar Pekcan, the trade minister, announced on May 22. 

The package, called the Stock Financing Support Package, came into use through Turk Eximbank, according to a press release issued by the Trade Ministry.

Turkey's exports of milk and other dairy products to China will resume, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said on May 21 and added that 54 Turkish companies will be able to export to China.

In a tweet, Pekcan said she welcomed the Chinese dairy market opening to Turkish exporters, after Chinese authorities deemed Turkey an exportable country.

The coronavirus crisis served to demonstrate the importance of trade in services to ensure the sustainability of supply chains, and especially the importance of digital trade, according to Turkey's trade minister.

Turkey on April 29 set up a digital ecosystem for the agriculture sector to establish a direct link between the cultivator and the consumer.

The Turkish government, Facebook and a powerful business group are working together to create a digital training portal for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Turkey's Trade Ministry said on April 28. 

Under a new measure to allow for safe trade with Turkey amid the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign truck drivers who comply with stringent health rules will be able to deliver their cargo and exit the country within 72 hours without being subject to a 14-day quarantine.

The "contactless trade" method launched amid the coronavirus pandemic is continuing successfully, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has said, adding that the number of commercial vehicles passing through customs has increased since March, when the method was launched.

The Turkish Trade Ministry will organize virtual trade delegations, fairs and e-marketplaces in collaboration with exporters' associations, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has said.

Turkey's automotive exports decreased by 10% to stand at $6.98 billion year-on-year in the first quarter due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters Association said.

The country's automotive exports were $7.75 billion in the first quarter of 2019, the association's data showed on March 5. 

The Turkish Trade Ministry has developed various ways to maintain the flow of goods through its border gates and ports despite travel bans introduced at the beginning of March, when the coronavirus pandemic started spreading around the world, according to the trade minister.