The loss of exports of the textile and apparel industry due to the coronavirus outbreak often comes first on the agenda. So how is the situation in the carpet industry? What do the export figures of the sector show? In which markets has there been an increase and where has there been a decrease? The monthly export report prepared by ITKIB Carpet Sector Branch gives us detailed information. The figures show us that after the shock bottom level in April, a good recovery was achieved in May, although it remained at minus levels. Turkish carpet exports quickly overcome pandemic shock.
2020 January-May period, Turkish carpet exports, compared to the same period of the previous year, generated 851 million dollars with a decrease of 18.3%. Meanwhile, Turkey’s total exports in the same period fell to 56.5 billion dollars, with a decrease of 19.7%. In the first five months of the year, the share of carpet exports in industrial products increased from 2.3% to 2.5%. Considering only May, the exports of the carpet industry lost 50.2% and a value of 117.3 million dollars was achieved. While this figure is a serious decrease compared to the same month of the previous year, it also shows a clear recovery compared to the bottom level (76 million dollars) in April, when we felt the full effect of the outbreak.
Handmade carpet exports suffered serious losses
Turkey’s carpet export has three main product groups; export of handmade carpet, machine made carpet and tuff carpet. In the January-May 2020 period, handmade carpet exports decreased by 30.5% to 14.4 million dollars. On the basis of May, this export amounted to 970 thousand dollars with a decrease of 89.8%.
The exports of machine made carpets in the first five months of the year lost 15.9% and reached a value of 731.6 million dollars. Its exports in May alone decreased by 46.3% to 104 million dollars.
Export loss in tuff carpets, whose market has been expanding rapidly in recent years, was limited to 25.4% in January-May 2020 period and revenue of 105.5 million dollars was obtained. Tuff carpet exports decreased by 65.7% in May on a 12.3 million dollar level.
Carpet exports to American countries increased by 6.6%
American countries, Middle East countries and EU countries stand out as the most important markets in Turkey’s exports carpets. Exports to American countries, which became the largest market by attracting 33.7% of carpet exports in January-May period of 2020, increased by 6.6% compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 287.2 million dollars. Exports in May were 53.7 million dollars, with a decrease of %14.6.
Our second largest market in carpet exports were to Middle Eastern countries with 27.5% share. Our exports to this market in the first five months of the year decreased by 29.3% to 234.6 million dollars. Our May carpet exports to the Middle East market were recorded as 21.9 million dollars.
EU countries, which have a 16.4% share in our carpet exports, are seen as the third largest market. Carpet exports to EU countries decreased by 31.2% in the period of January – May 2020 and reached approximately 139.8 million dollars. Only in May, carpet exports to this market fell 50% to 21.5 million dollars.
Our carpet exports to the USA and Saudi Arabia increased
In terms of countries, our biggest markets in carpet export can be listed as; USA, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Libya and Egypt. These countries are followed by England, Iraq, B.A.E., Kuwait and Israel respectively.
The USA, which attracted 32.1% of our carpet exports, became our biggest carpet market. Exports to this market were recorded as 273.1 million dollars in January-May 2020 with an increase of 8.6%. Our carpet exports to Saudi Arabia, which is our second biggest carpet market, increased by 15.4% and reached 131.3 million dollars. Our exports to Germany in the third row decreased by 18.2% to 40.8 million dollars.
On the basis of product groups; USA was the most important country market in handmade carpet exports. In the first five months of 2020, handmade carpet exports to the USA decreased by 41.3% to 3.89 million dollars. Our biggest market in machine made carpet export was the USA as well. During this period, exports of machine made carpets to the US increased 14% to 259.8 million dollars. Britain stood out as the biggest market for tuff carpet exports. Exports to the UK decreased by 45.1% compared to the same period of the previous year and remained at 16 million dollars.