Turkish İMSAD Construction Materials Industry Foreign Trade Index showed significant developments in April 2021. April 2020 was the month when the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak were highest. For this reason, high increases were realized in comparisons made with April of last year. However, the data for April 2021 displayed a high performance beyond the base effect.
In April 2021, the highest monthly export was realized since August 2013, when the index was started to be measured in terms of value. Exports reached 2.54 billion dollars in value and 5,82 million tons in amount in April. In April, the second highest export volume of all time was made. Construction materials industry exports showed a high performance with the expectation of recovery and revival in the markets. The increasing demand in foreign markets is expected to continue until the end of the year.
The average annual export unit price of the construction materials industry increased by 29.4 percent in April compared to April last year. In April 2020, with the effect of the Covid-19 epidemic, average export prices decreased significantly and became 0.34 dollars / kg. The export unit price was 0.44 dollars/kg in April 2021. This time in 2021, the increase in commodity prices pushed the export unit price up.
In April 2021, imports of construction materials amounted to 722 million dollars on value basis and 295 thousand 397 tons on amount basis. Imports reached the highest amount since May 2018. While the import unit price of the construction materials industry was $2.48/kg in April 2020, it became $2.44/kg in April 2021. With the expectations of vaccination and recovery in the markets, the increase in demand continues. Accordingly, in April, the highest foreign trade of recent years was realized in construction materials products. High levels of exports are expected to continue.
Performance strengthens, export unit prices increase
In April 2021, the export performance of construction materials showed similar trends in sub-sectors. In terms of value, quantity and unit prices, the trends in exports were in the direction of increase. In April 2020, when the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic were felt the most, there were sharp contractions in exports. For this reason, the growth experienced in April of this year also has a high base effect from last year.
In April 2021, export unit prices in all 8 sub-product groups increased compared to April 2021. The average export unit price of iron and steel products in April 2021 increased by 23.9 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. The average export unit price of prefabricated buildings increased by 22.4 percent, and the average export unit price of electrical materials and equipment increased by 18.8 percent. In April, the average export unit price of mineral, stone and soil products increased by 18.6 percent, and the average export unit price of metal products increased by 13.9 percent.
In April of 2021, exports in all 8 sub-product groups were higher than April of the previous year. The highest increase in exports in April was 139.2 percent in hardwood and wood products. Exports increased by 89.9 percent in chemical-based products, 76.1 percent in prefabricated buildings, 73.4 percent in electrical materials and equipment, 73.1 percent in insulation materials, 65.7 percent in metal-based products, 53.4 percent in iron and steel products, and 40.3 percent in mineral, stone and soil products.
In April of 2021, exports increased in value in all 8 sub-product groups. There were significant increases in value. There is also the base effect of April, which experienced sharp decreases in high increases last year. In April 2021, the highest increase in exports in terms of value was realized in hardwood and wooden products with 144.2 percent and prefabricated structures with 115.4 percent. There was an increase of 108.5 percent in chemical-based products and 105.8 percent in electrical materials and equipment. Exports of iron and steel products increased by 94 percent and metal-based products by 88.7 percent in April. The increase in exports in terms of value resulted from both the increase in quantity and the increase in export unit prices.