Furniture exports increased by 35%

According to the data of the Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association, the furniture, paper and forestry products sector, which is among the sectors with the highest current account surplus in Turkey and increasing its exports every year, continues to increase its contribution to the economy.

In the first half of the year, the exports of the sector increased by 29 percent compared to the same period of 2020 and reached 3.2 billion dollars. Furniture exports, which showed an increase of 35 percent, broke a record by exceeding 2 billion dollars.

In June, the furniture, paper and forestry products sector realized exports of 614 million dollars and furniture 387 million dollars. The countries to which furniture is exported the most are Iraq, Germany, USA, Israel and France. Among the most exported products were children's cribs and cribs, nursery furniture, dining room and living room.

"Growth will continue for many years"

Ahmet Güleç, Chairman of the Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association, expressed his satisfaction with the steady growth of the sector in his evaluation of the data to the AA correspondent.

Emphasizing that the growth may continue for many years and that the sector has opportunities in international markets, Güleç said, "We think that there will be a recovery in all markets thanks to the vaccination efforts that are continuing rapidly in our country and all over the world, and we, as the industry, are preparing for the new situation. Our predictions are that the negative effects of the epidemic will weaken as of September. towards." he said. Noting that Turkish furniture is preferred for its design, quality and value pricing features, Güleç made the following statements:

"Turkish furniture is in the eighth rank in the international market. We want to raise it to the fifth rank and we believe that we can achieve this very easily. We need promotion and branding support. In the evaluations we made in the past months, we shared our prediction that furniture exports will reach 4 billion dollars this year. The passing information confirms us. The basic raw material in furniture production is Our ministry also developed a solution for the export of MDF, which is a material. This strengthened our hand, but other factors continue."

Güleç added that there has been an increase in the prices of raw materials and inputs such as sponge, fabric, electricity, MDF and chipboard, and that this may be reflected in sales figures.