Turkey's clothing exports reach $18B in 2018

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey's clothing exports reached nearly $18 billion in 2018, president of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers' Association (TGSD) said on Wednesday.

"We predict that our clothing exports will reach $19 billion in 2019," Hadi Karasu stressed in a meeting in Istanbul, as quoted in a press release issued by the TGSD.

The clothing sector has strategic importance for the country's economy with its production power, contribution to the employment, and value-added exports, he said.

He further asserted that Turkey was also a global player in the clothing and textile sector, adding:

"Turkey is the fifth largest clothing supplier in the world, we took a 3.3 percent share from the $515 billion global clothing market in 2017."

Karasu said Turkey has a potential to raise its exports 10 times higher than it currently is.

Meanwhile, the country's domestic clothing market reached 165 billion Turkish liras ($34.2 billion) in the current year, he said.

The market's size rose by 20 percent from the previous year, Karasu added.

"The difference stemmed largely from the increase in prices, while the real rise is around 2-3 percent," he noted.