Türkiye aims to boost the country’s exports by focusing on a number of products, including tea, hazelnuts and salmon, the head of the Eastern Black Sea Exporters’ Association Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan told the Türkiye Exporters' Summit Tuesday.

Speaking at the "2023 Exports Vision and New Opportunities" panel, moderated by Sabah daily’s economy chief and columnist, Dilek Güngör, Gürdoğan said Türkiye exports tea to 120 countries and the commodity has become popular, especially after tourists visiting the country got hooked on it.

"We aim to boost our tea and hazelnut imports by 50% in the near future," he said, adding that Turkish freshwater aquafarm salmon has also become a hit abroad, reaching $164 million thanks to a 156% surge.

Noting that Turkish salmon has become a competitor to Norwegian salmon, Gürdoğan said Türkiye wants to expand its aquafarms to further boost already soaring exports.

The country's exports rose 9.2% to $22.6 billion, marking the best September yet, Trade Minister Mehmet Muş told the summit. Türkiye has thus managed to achieve record export figures in each of the first nine months of the year. The trade deficit leaped almost 300% year-over-year in September to nearly $10.4 billion, the data showed, as external dependence keeps Türkiye vulnerable to energy prices that rocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.