By Gokhan Ergocun </p> <p>ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey's machinery exports reached $4.3 billion in the first three months of 2019, an exporters' association said Monday.</p> <p>The sector's exports soared 4.4% in the first quarter versus the same period in 2018, the Machinery Exporters' Association (MAIB) said in a statement.</p> <p> </p> <p>Turkey's machinery exports also rose by around 17% to reach 750,000 tons on the basis of quantity, the statement read.</p> <p>"In the narrowing global market, the world's machinery exporters have to decrease prices, Turkish exporters are also affected from this situation," said Kutlu Karavelioglu, the head of MAIB.</p> <p>During the last five quarters, average price in Turkey's machinery exports dropped to $5.6 per kilogram from $6.3, he added.</p> <p>He also said the MAIB focuses on emerging markets to take more share.</p> <p>Turkey's machinery exports were $17.1 billion in 2018, while the export-to-import ratio in the machinery sector was 64%. </p> <p>Overall, Turkey earned $168.02 billion from exports in 2018, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
