This year Turkey is expected to export apparel worth US$ 19 billion, and by 2017, the country is estimated to export clothing products worth $30 billion, said Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) board chairman Hikmet Tanriverdi, at a recently held meeting of ten Turkish clothing and ready-to-wear associations, including IHKIB, in Istanbul.
At the meeting, the IHKIB chairman said that currently the country is exporting apparel products at an average price of $24 per kilogram, and the goal is to increase exports to an average price of $35 per kilogram, which would help achieve the export target of $30 billion by 2017.
It is necessary for Turkish apparel and ready-to-wear organizations to come together and cooperate to achieve the target, and the meeting is a step towards it, he added.
During the meeting, OTIAD president Ali Ulvi Orhan said the domestic market for Turkish apparel products is stagnant and the demand for Turkish clothing in the domestic market is expected to be very sluggish during the current year.
There are several barriers that affect the demand for Turkish garments in the domestic market and the Government needs to take effective steps to remove these barriers to develop the local apparel sector, he added.
The meeting organized by IHKIB saw participation from heads and representatives of Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD), Osmanbey Textile Businessmen Association (OTIAD), Laleli Industrialists and Businessmen Association (LASIAD), Mersin Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MESIAD), Bayrampasa Textile Industrialist and Businessmen Association (BATIAD), Clothing Industry Association (KYSD), Innerwear Manufacturers Association (TIGSAD), Knitwear Industrialists Association of Turkey (TRISAD) and Fashion Designers Association of Turkey (MTD).
In 2013, Turkey exported clothing worth $17.3 billion, indicating a surge of 8.3 percent compared to the $16.3 billion apparel exported during 2012, as per the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Association (ITKIB) data.
