Textile and ready-to-wear industry leaders meet in Kahramanmaraş. The industry’s production and export power was emphasized, while more support was requested in the Textile and Ready-to-Wear industries’ joint industry meeting held in Kahramanmaraş.
Industry meeting of the two major power of the Turkish economy: textile and ready-to-wear was held in Kahramanmaraş. Important names of the industry and economy management attended the meeting where it was underlined that the government gave full support to both industries.
Speaking at the opening of the industry meeting Deputy Minister of Trade Riza Tuna Turagay; “The textile and apparel industries are very important to our state. As the state and government, we will always be behind our industries. Our state is aware of the importance of textile and apparel industries.” Textile and apparel industry has played an important role in the development of the country from the 80s to the present said Turagay and continued arguing that the industries should now make a breakthrough. Turagay continued his speech as follows;
“Our textile and ready-to-wear industries play a key role in export and development. We’re doing our share as the state. Textile and ready-to-wear industries are one of the most important industries for our country’s economy. Their contribution to employment is clear. They are among the most value-added industries. While the export price of our country is 1.33 dollars, this figure is up to 17 dollars for our textile and ready-to-wear industries. It is also clear to what extent our industries have created great added value. Export is very important to us. We should export despite the shrinking domestic demand. We must work together for this country”.
Textile and ready-to-wear industry leaders meet in Kahramanmaraş: textile industry needs to write a story again
Turkey Exporters Assembly (TİM) Chairman İsmail Gülle said that Kahramanmaraş is an example of success story in Turkey’s manufacturing. Gülle explained that Turkey exported 45 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2019; “We are in a picture frame that can close the year with exports of 180 billion dollars. Textile and ready-to-wear has a very high share in this. For years, we have been working together to get this industry forward. Whenever a crisis arose, the textile industry inspired other industries”. Stating that the textile industry needs to write a story again, Gülle announced that they are carrying out the infrastructure work of the export reform will be announced in August with the ministry.
Net 15.5 billion dollars contribution from textile and ready-to-wear industries to foreign trade
Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB) Chairman Ahmet Öksüz evaluated the export figures of textile and ready-to-wear industries. Öksüz; “We exported 26.1 billion dollars’ worth of textile and ready-to-wear industries in 2018 and we provided a very significant contribution to our country’s economy by giving foreign trade surplus worth 15.5 billion dollars”. Öksüz said that the industries succeeded with the support of the Ministry of Commerce and TİM, and indicated that they are determined to write new success stories. Öksüz stated that İTHİB continued to work with determination for this purpose and continued his words as follows;
“We are launching new generation B2B activities. We are bringing foreign purchasing offices together with our exporters in our country. We are increasing the number of Ur-Ge projects. We introduce our industry to the world with our international promotion activities”.
Kahramanmaraş is the textile’s shining star
Mustafa Gültepe, Chairman of the İstanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), underlined that Anatolia should be the production base for the apparel industry. “Kahramanmaraş is the shining star of textile” said Gültepe in his speech and continued saying; “Ready-to-wear and apparel exports were 17.6 billion dollars in 2018. We are also in an increase in the first quarter of 2019. In 2018, there was an increase of 7.6 percent and an 11 percent increase in the first quarter of 2019. We produce more and export more. This is reflected in employment. Ready-to-wear industry grew 3.6 percent this year. We put forward opposite numbers to Turkey. We broke employment records every month between August and December. The Anatolian should be turned into a production base by providing special investment supports to the apparel sector”.
Indicating that the textile industry is the locomotive of Kahramanmaraş economy, Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Industry and Commerce Assembly President Hanefi Öksüz said; “We gathered here as the Turkish textile family. The locomotive of our city is the textile industry. We produce more than one third of the yarn produced in our country here in our city. Textile is growing in the form of a pyramid in our city. We are moving our industry forward. The textile industry is even more important in the period when we are having an employment crisis as a country. This is industry requires a lot of investment”.