Turkish textile industry discusses production advantages in Syria

With the collapse of the 61-year Baath regime in Syria, a new process has begun in the region, and the Turkish textile and retail industry has announced that it aims to contribute to employment and production in the country. Industry representatives emphasised that Turkey is one of the countries that will contribute the most to the reconstruction of Syria. Ahmet Oksuz, Chairman of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB), said in his statement to AA that there are great opportunities for Turkey in Syria, and that production in Syria would be beneficial for Turkish textile manufacturers in the face of increasing costs and labour shortages.

Oksuz reminded that there is a significant Syrian population in Turkey, especially when evaluated in terms of labour force, saying: “They were working in many areas. Now that they have returned to their country, it will be in our best interest to establish some production facilities there.” Oksuz pointed out that prices are much more affordable in on-site production and that regions in Syria, especially those close to Turkey, could be a production base for the country.

“It would be a great advantage if production is in Syria instead of Egypt”

Ahmet Öksüz stated that the industry has recently focused on production in Egypt; “It would be a great advantage if this happens in Syria instead of Egypt. Because, right now, in Turkey, we are having problems both in finding labour and in terms of costs. I am talking about labour-intensive industries in particular. I think there could be great opportunities here if we can evaluate this,” he said. He indicated that employment could be provided in the region, and noted the following:

“Why should not we provide job opportunities to Syrians there? Why don’t we go to Syria instead of Egypt? Syria is also very advantageous logistically due to its proximity to Turkey. If we can start production in labour-intensive industries in the region close to Turkey on the Syrian side, Turkey will turn this into an advantage. In the coming period, it will become even more difficult to find labour in Turkey. Costs will increase even more. We can at least tolerate this. This would be very beneficial both in terms of the employment of Syrians and in terms of contributing to Turkey’s production.”