AYMOD Shoe Fashion Fair held for the 68th time by the Turkish Shoe Manufacturers Association (TASD) was opened.
Turkish Exporters Assembly Leader (TIM) Leader Mustafa Gültepe, Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) Board Leader Erdal Bahçıvan, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Leader Şekib Avdagiç, TASD Leader Berke İçten attended the opening ceremony of the fair.
Speaking at the opening of the program, İçten said that the shoe industry performed successfully both in the domestic and foreign markets in 2022. Stating that they closed 2022 with 1.2 billion dollars of exports and started 2023 with the goal of 1.5 billion dollars, İçten used the following words:
“We came to an agreement as a result of the valuation we made with AYSAD and our companies on this issue before the AYMOD Fair. In order not to lose the foreign customer that we have gained with long efforts in this difficult period and to contribute to the fight against inflation, we, as AYSAD and TASD, have made a recommendation to reduce the shoe prices by 10 percent.”
“It has gained great momentum in exports, especially in the last two years”
TİM Leader Mustafa Gültepe pointed out that Turkey has gained a great momentum in exports and said, “We closed 2022 with a record export of 254.2 billion dollars. We want to maintain the same momentum this year, when we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic.”
Emphasizing that there has been good news for exporters from the public sector recently, Gültepe continued her words as follows:
“Cost pressure to reduce electricity and natural gas prices twice in a month. under which gave our companies a breath of fresh air. We have easier access to favorable conditional financing than a few months ago. The latest regulations of the Central Bank have also been a positive step for our exporting companies. Such steps increase the morale motivation of our companies and our export family.”
Expressing that there is a slowdown in the rate of increase in exports due to the shrinkage in demand in global markets, Gültepe said that the momentum in production and exports in the first half of 2022 should be caught again.
Emphasizing the need for exporters to open up to new markets, Gültepe said, “The ‘Far Countries Strategy’ of our Ministry of Trade offers us new opportunities on this path. As TİM, we want to make the most of this opportunity. In January, we organized trade delegations to Venezuela and Pakistan. 19 of them were in the first quarter. “We have planned 100 trade delegations this year, including our associations. We will also host 45 procurement committees in our country. We will participate in 250 fairs all over the world,” he said.
“E exports are below the world average”
ITO Leader Avdagic stated that Turkey’s extensive e-export is below the world average, and this should be increased. Avdagic said:
“We are in an area of 60 thousand square meters. One of every 8 companies here is a foreign company. On the one hand, our exports are increasing, but as the Turkish business world, we need to follow our exports together with imports. Our main expectation is that the exchange rate increase is close to the inflation increase. If we can achieve this, our industrialists will do so. We need to open a special area for cross-border e-commerce here.
The share of e-commerce in Turkey’s total exports is below the developed country averages. We need to increase this rate quickly. The shoe department is a branch that can become a pilot in this field. There was no decrease in sales over the internet after Kovid. This trend has settled and is increasing its stake.”
“Sustainability is of great value for the future”
In his speech, ISO Leader Bahçıvan emphasized that sustainability is of great value for the future. Bahçıvan stated that the produced works should be sustainable and said, “The world is locked in a goal in this regard. No matter what work we produce, we need to adapt sustainability. As ISO, we are doing valuable work on this issue. This will be the most valuable factor that the buyers will bring to us in the coming period. It is very valuable for us to be able to increase the quality in the field and to attract personnel to the sector with the dimension of education.” made his comment.
