April data regarding Turkish textile exports has been announced. In the report, the increase in textile exports to Asian and American continents as well as to Middle Eastern countries drew attention. According to the ‘Textile and Raw Materials Sector 2024 April Export Performance’ report published by ITHIB, there was a decrease in export figures in the textile and apparel sectors in April and in the January-April period compared to the previous year. Apparel and garment exports decreased by 19% in April 2024 compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching 1.1 billion dollars; and in the January-April period, it decreased by 14.6% compared to the previous year and amounted to 5 billion dollars. The textile and raw materials sector, on the other hand, decreased by 8% in April to 845 million dollars compared to last year, and in the January-April period by 3.6%, decreasing to 3.8 billion dollars. In the January-April period, the apparel and garment sector ranked 5th with a share of 6%, and the textile and raw materials sector ranked 8th with a share of 4.5% in Türkiye’s general exports.
Türkiye reached a 15% increase in textile exports to the Asian continent
While European Union (EU) countries again rank first in Turkish textile sector exports with a share of 41%, compared to the same period last year, it decreased by 9.8% in April 2024 to 349 million dollars, and in the January-April period, it decreased by 4.7% to 1 billion 548.2 million dollars. The country groups to which Türkiye exported the most textiles in the same April and January-April periods are respectively; Africa, the Middle East, the American continent, the Asian continent, other European countries and the Turkish Republics. While the biggest increase in the first four months of the year was experienced in the Asian continent with a rate of 15%, the biggest decrease was recorded in the Turkish Republics with a rate of 12%.
When Turkish textile industry exports were examined on a country basis, Italy ranked first with an 8% decrease and an export figure of 289 million dollars in January-April 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year. It was followed by Germany, with a 14% decrease in exports worth 236 million dollars, and the USA, with a 10% increase in exports worth 233 million dollars. In the same period, 69 thousand tons of textiles were exported to Italy, 48 thousand tons to the USA, and 46 thousand tons to Germany.
Turkish technical textile exports to Israel increased by 171%
When we look at Turkish textile export figures on a product group basis, the first three are woven fabric, technical textile and yarn, respectively followed by knitted fabric, home textile, fiber and apparel sub-industry. While the biggest increase in the January-April period was seen in the fiber product group with a rate of 5%, the biggest decline was observed in home textiles with a rate of 13%.
Woven fabric exports decreased by 6% in this period and amounted to 776 million dollars. The number one export market was Spain with a share of 13%. Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and the USA were among the other countries in the top 5. The biggest increase in woven fabric exports was seen in Spain with 38%, and the biggest decrease was seen in Morocco and Egypt with an average rate of 21%.
In the same period, a 2% decrease was observed in technical textile exports, which were worth 728 million dollars. While Germany ranked first in technical textile exports with a share of 7.8%, the highest increase was experienced in Israel with a share of 42%. In April, technical textile exports to Israel increased by 171% compared to last year and reached 9.4 million dollars.
In the yarn product group, which ranks third, an export figure of 717 million dollars was recorded with a 3% increase in January-April 2024, while the highest exports were to Italy, Portugal and England, respectively. While the country with the highest increase in yarn exports was Portugal with a rate of 123%, the most significant decrease was recorded in Belgium with a rate of 28%.
Arrows turned upward in capacity utilization rates and employment
Capacity utilization rates showed an upward trend in the last 12-month period, covering the period between April 2023 and April 2024. Capacity utilization rates increased by 8% in the textile industry and 2% in the manufacturing industry. The number of employment in the textile and apparel sectors, which generally showed a significant decrease in the period between January 2022 and February 2024, started to increase in March. The number of employment, which was 1 million 15 thousand in February, reached 1 million 101 thousand in March.