BAGDHAD (AP)- An Iraqi oil official says Iraq’s January oil exports inched up to about 1.89 million barrels a day from about 1.82 million in the previous month.

Falah al-Amiri, the head of the State Oil Marketing Organization, says about 1.38 million barrels per day were exported through the Persian Gulf, while 500,000 barrels a day were exported via Turkey’s port of Ceyhan.

Al-Amiri told The Associated Press on Sunday that exports through Turkey were the biggest since 2003. Sabotage had left the pipeline generally idle until late August 2007.The average price for Iraqi oil stood at about $37 a barrel.

Iraq’s 2009 budget stands at $64 billion and is based on$50 a barrel. The government hopes to raise exports to 2 million barrels a day this year.