Çağlayan was speaking yesterday at the first meeting of an evaluation council that was established in March to form the strategy. He said that industrial products make up nearly 80 percent of Turkish exports, while low-tech and fairly low-tech products account for the majority of this group, though their share in world trade is decreasing constantly. Fairly high-tech products, however, dominate world trade, he noted, citing the automotive, machine and electric machinery sectors as the fields enjoying the most rapid increase in exports across the world. “For this reason, Turkey is seriously in need of such a strategy,” said Çağlayan.
“The export-oriented production strategy will have four main components,” the minister stated, including low-tech sectors to enable them to start the production of high value-added goods. Medium-high-tech sectors will also be supported to manufacture higher value-added goods, he said. The production capacity of medium-high-tech sectors will be boosted, while investments in hi-tech sectors will also be encouraged.
Achieving this goal is not easy, the minister said, adding that they will exert all their effort to ensure the functioning of the strategy by also introducing other systems such as country desks and some other structural improvements.
Çağlayan also shared the latest export figures. According to data of the exporters unions, he said Turkey’s exports amounted to $2.9 billion between July 1 and 9 this year. This figure was 15.7 percent more than one year before and 13.6 percent more compared to the same period in the previous month. Turkey’s exports totaled TL 56.3 billion from January to July 9, up from TL 46.39 billion one year ago.
Exports to Thailand, Peru, Kuwait and Panama more than doubled last month, the minister recalled, stressing that this indicates that Turkey is continuing to expand into new markets.
