ANKARA

Turkey’s confectionery and chocolate industry has set an export target of $1.5 billion for 2021, a trade body said on Thursday.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry’s exports stood at $1.3 billion in 2020, according to a statement by the Aegean Exporters’ Union.

At $540 million, confectionery products with chocolate and cocoa made up the largest chunk of exports last year, with exports of cocoa-free white chocolate products at $476 million.

The industry’s biggest export markets were Iraq, the US, and Iran, with $153 million, $143 million, and $52 million worth of exports, respectively, the statement said.

These three were followed by Israel with exports worth $49 million and the UK at $48 million, it added.