Turkey trade minister sees exports gathering pace

ANKARA, Nov 2 - Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Monday he expected exports to gain momentum in the rest of the year and may exceed the government's $98.5 billion forecast for 2009.

Turkish exports rose for the first time in a year in October, climbing 4.6 percent year-on-year to $9.945 billion, the Turkish Exporters Assembly said on Sunday, signalling a mild economic recovery is in sight.

The global economic crisis sapped demand for Turkish goods overseas, and the estimated $608 billion economy contracted 10.5 percent in the first half.

"Our exports in October 2009 rose 19.2 percent compared to September 2009. The rising trend in exports will help exports exceed $10 billion in the last two months of 2009," Caglayan said in a written statement.

Caglayan said October data showed the official $98.5 billion export estimate could be exceeded, and the government aims to reach $100 billion.

Turkish exports stood at $132 billion in 2008.