TETSIAD, the association of home textile industrialists and businessmen in Turkey, pointed out the importance of value added products in the economy, and advices to use domestically produced inputs in manufacturing of the exported goods.
The association aims to help its members in solving their problems. All members of TETSIAD have great potential in closing the foreign trade gap. It is advised that member companies should emphasize on the exports of high value added products. Home textile industry is one of the industries having highest value added potential among other industries. Countries having high imbalance in their foreign trade accounts such as Turkey should find solutions for this problem and should prefer domestic sources in their efforts to produce value for the markets. They have also to protect their domestic markets against foreign companies. In this regard, Yasar Kucukcalik, president of the association of home textile industrialists and businessmen, said, “Current account deficit is an important structural problems of Turkey. Its basic determinant is foreign trade imbalance. If you sell your valuable goods in export markets below their price in domestic markets and import goods from abroad at higher prices, the foreign trade deficit occurs. In order to improve the balance, you have to reduce dependence of the economy on imported goods. In this regard, the ministry of economy is carrying out a study with an aim to substitute imports with domestic products, under Gites Project. The other way to reduce the deficit is to increase the sale of high technology products in export markets. That means to sell more value in abroad at higher prices and to buy good at lower prices. Home textile industry has such a potential to do these both. By importing what is cheap and by selling what is valuable in export market. The industry exported 3.3 billion dollars worth of good in 2013 while by importing only 430 million dollars of goods from abroad. In the first half of the year 2014, the sector sold 1.7 billion dollars of goods in export markets, and imported only 221 million dollars worth of inputs. In general, Turkish home textile industry is capable of compete with all rivals in the world with its both quality and technological abilities. It has a sustainable competitive power in export markets. That also means that Turkish home textile industry is able to produce every and better products that markets demand.” Home textile industry in Turkey has latest technological structure, educated human resources, accumulated knowledge, experiences, wide range of product portfolio, powerful and valuable brands. They produce their own collection and even increasing the number of brands they have that offer value for the tastes of foreign customers. It is also one of the most developed industries in Turkey, with its annual sales that increase 5 % on average, and with its sales volume of about 3.3 billion at the end of 2013, home textile industry promising more in the future.
