Türkiye's cotton imports to reach 1 million ton
Türkiye has become the world's third largest importer in cotton, which is the basic raw material of the leading export sectors, namely the textile and clothing sectors, of Türkiye and brings an added value of 35 billion dollars into the Turkish economy.
All cotton shareholders want the support given to be increased in order to boost the cotton production and improve the quality of the cotton produced in Türkiye, which imported 910 thousand tonnes of cotton in 2014.
Having spoken at the seminar that was organized by Aegean Exporters Association (AEA) in cooperation with Izmir Commodity Exchange in the premises of the AEA and themed "Electronic Product Certificate Applications in Cotton, Situation of the Cotton Markets and Their Influence on Supply Chain", Sabri Ünlütürk, who is the Coordinator Chairperson of the Aegean Exporters Association, stated that Türkiye imported 910 thousand tonnes of cotton and had become the world's third largest importer. He also said, "Türkiye made use of the advantage of being the cotton producer country in textile and clothing sectors in the past years. We should establish cooperation with the universities, commodity exchanges, exporters' unions and other stakeholders in the sector in order to increase the quality cotton production".
Stating that cotton production in Türkiye contributed significantly to the competitiveness of the textile and clothing industries in world markets, Işınsu Kestelli, chairperson of the Board of Directors of Izmir Commodity Exchange, continued her speech, "It is of vital importance to carry out a very detailed SWOT analysis for cotton that is a strategic product for our country and bring this product back to the place it deserves. If a country becomes one of the world's third largest importers of a product, of which it is one of the largest producers, within a short period of time, it is crystal clear that there are some things there that need to be corrected immediately".
Having mentioned that Türkiye annually exported apparel and textile products worth of 19 and 9 billion dollars, respectively, and that cotton products constituted 70% of these exports, Emre Kızılgüneşler, chairperson of the Board of Directors of Aegean Clothing and Apparel Exporters' Association, noted that the cotton product consumption in the domestic market was around 15 billion dollars in figures.
Stressing that Turkish clothing sector needed raw materials, rapid transportation and branding in fashion in order to be able to compete with countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia and India where the labour is quite cheap, Kızılgüneşler added, "We have to hold a strong position in this sector with a robust infrastructure. Otherwise, the export volume of 28 billion dollars shrinks quickly. That is the reason why we have been calling authorities for years to render cotton a strategic product and take additional measures regarding it. If the value of cotton per kg multiplies twelvefold from the raw material to the final product, it goes without saying that this product bears strategic importance for the country".
Barış Kocagöz, president of the Assembly of Izmir Commodity Exchange, pointed out that ELİDAŞ (Aegean Agricultural Products Licensed Warehouse Inc.) that was established by the coming together of 19 partners reached 60% capacity with 7 thousand tonnes of cotton stored in 2015. Kocagöz expressed that, thanks to ELİDAŞ, textile and clothing industrialists obtained the opportunity to take products that are guaranteed in terms of quality and standard.
28.07.2015
