ISTANBUL: Turkish industrial production expanded 9.6% year-on-year in March, data showed on Friday, exceeding a Reuters poll forecast of 6.5% as it rose for a 21st consecutive month, remaining buoyant against a background of surging inflation.

Month-on-month, industrial output shrank 1.8% in March on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, the Turkish Statistical Institute said.

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A Reuters poll this week had forecast that industrial production would expand 6.5%, sustaining a solid trend in economic activity since the lifting of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.