Turkish exhibitors are trying to strengthen their connection with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets at the ongoing four-day Heimtextil show in Frankfurt, Germany. The country is looking at penetrating into these markets not only to sustain its exports growth but also to make up for the losses in its traditional export market that has been hampered by the looming political and security issues in its neighbouring countries.
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Also, the presence of Turkish textile exhibitors and representatives at Heimtextil this year has shown a sharp increase from 159 to 211. At the fair, Turkish exhibitors and representatives from various textile and garment associations expressed their concerns over the existing unrest in the region and said that Turkey is surrounded by a violent neighbourhood; a war-ravaged Syria, an unstable Iraq and a sanction-plagued Russia.
Speaking at the fair, M Atilla Bulut, Deputy General Coordinator (Fairs), Turkish Home Textile Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association said, “Our advantage over China is our proximity to Europe. We know and understand Europe’s needs and are familiar with the region’s economic and cultural idiosyncrasies. Turkey has a problem on its borders with Syria, Iraq and Russia, even though it has no internal security problem. As a result, Turkish exporters are forced to look for markets beyond their borders, to South-East Asia, where the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was recently formed.”
Highlighting the efforts that Turkey is making to attract foreign buyers, Bulut added, “Turkey is also organising its own textile trade fair, ‘Evteks’ the Istanbul International Home Textiles Exhibition, on 17-21 May, 2016. We are launching a promotional campaign to attract buyers from Europe, the ASEAN region and other Asian countries.”
Furthermore, Turkey’s total global textile exports in 2015 were worth US $ 14 billion (RM 88.33 billion), out of which home textiles accounted for US $ 3 billion. Turkey’s home-textile exports in 2014 amounted to US $ 3.3 billion. The 2015 slow-down in exports is attributed to the crisis in Russia, which has faced huge sanctions because of the Ukraine crisis, resulting in less buying by its consumers.
