Turkish packaging industry registered $539 million foreign trade surplus for the period January-June, according to the Packaging Manufacturers Association (ASD).
The exports of the industry climbed 8 percent in quantity and 17 percent in value in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period last year, ASD said in a statement on Saturday.
Zeki Saribekir, president of the association, said: 'The [packaging] exports of our country in 2018 show an average growth of 12 percent per month.'
'We should proceed with the target of exporting at least half of the packaging we produce in Turkey,' he noted.
Packaging imports rose 7 percent in quantity and 13 percent in value compared to the first six months of 2017.
Germany imported the highest amount of packaging from Turkey in terms of value. It was followed by Britain, Iraq, Italy and Israel.
Among exports, plastic packaging had the biggest share with 65 percent, while paper/cardboard packages ranked second with 24 percent.
Reporting by Erhan Cihan Unal
Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev