Export Call to Gaziantep Ready-to-Wear Clothing Manufacturers
The new one of the sectoral communication meetings initiated by MHGF in 2012 was held at Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce (GTO) hosted by its member association PENKON. Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül, Deputy Mayor of Metropolitan Municipality Osman Toprak, MHGF President Hüseyin Öztürk, GTO President Tuncay Yıldırım, Gaziantep Chamber of Industry (GSO) President Adnan Ünverdi, Export Development Inc. (İGE) General Manager Kasım Akdeniz and the presidents of MHGF’s member associations from across Turkey, MHGF Board members and sector representatives in the city attended the meeting where a call for mobilization for exports was made.
Öztürk: We Must Develop Regional Exports
Emphasizing that the ready-to-wear sector is unique with an investment of one thousand dollars per person to be employed, Öztürk indicated that an investment of one billion dollars provides employment for one million people. Stating that they have expressed on every platform that design and R&D should be in big cities and standard production should be in Anatolia, MHGF President continued his words as follows: ‘‘Turkey has a total export of 35 billion dollars in the fields of textile, ready-to-wear, leather garment and footwear. I would like to emphasize that these exports are completely domestic and national. We should never make regional pricing in the expansion of the sector in Anatolia, especially in the 6th Region. Incentives are given to producers and entrepreneurs in development regions. We need to lose this to the customer. Another issue is that instead of moving the export potential organized in big cities here, we should create new exporters from here, develop regional exports, and bring them to Turkey’s exports. Today, we will discuss the issue of exporters’ access to financing in our meeting with İGE.’’
Reisoğlu: We have not reached the desired point in exports
PENKON President and MHGF Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regional Coordinator President Reis Reisoğlu pointed out that Gaziantep could not reach the desired point in exports despite being one of the locomotive provinces of the sector, its workforce and equity capital and sectoral accumulation, and added, “Our city is a center that attracts attention both in its region and in the country with its entrepreneurial spirit and its leadership in trade and industry. If we look at it as the sum of all sectors, it is in the 5th position in the ranking of the province with the highest exports in Turkey with 10.1 billion dollars.”
Along with Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Cizre, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Kilis and Adıyaman exported only 274 million dollars worth of apparel last year.
Gül: Suitable Physical Conditions Should Be Provided
Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül, on the other hand, said that there is no problem in the quality of ready-to-wear products produced in the city and added, ‘‘Branding will make significant contributions to Gaziantep and Turkey. For this, the sustainability of the sector and appropriate physical conditions must be provided.’’
Yıldırım: Export Volume is Actually Higher
GTO President Tuncay Yıldırım stated that the city is the 5th city that exports the most in the ready-to-wear and apparel sector and said, ‘‘According to TIM data, we exported 194.5 million dollars in 2021. However, in reality it is much more. I say in reality because we send it to major brands in Istanbul with contract manufacturing. Our exports made through Istanbul are not included in this figure. In sweaters, sweaters, cardigans, cardigans, vests, we have 45 percent of Turkey’s production capacity with 1 million 738 thousand 649 units. Again, with 12 million 306 thousand 600 pairs of socks, approximately 100 percent of Turkey’s production capacity is in Gaziantep.’’
