Increase in Textile Exports Continues To Encourage The Positive Mood – Having great hopes for 2018, Turkish textile and raw materials industry achieved satisfactory results with export figures for the first four months of the year. In this period, the industry’s exports increased by 9% to 3.6 billion USD.
Turkey’s overall exports increased by 15% to 13.5 billion USD in April. During this period, the total exports of textiles and raw materials increased by 8% in Turkey to 875 million USD. As of April, the share of the textile industry in general exports was 6.5%. However, during the first four months of 2018 (January-April), the exports of the industry increased by 9% to approximately 3.6 billion USD.
In April the main export market of the textile industry was the EU (28 countries) region. Exports to EU have increased by 6.1% to 460 million USD. Exports to EU countries reached up to 1.9 billion USD in January-April 2018 period. The second group of countries with the most textile exports was the Middle East countries. Exports to this region decreased by 5.5% in April to 86 million USD. In the first four months of the year, recorded value was 346 million USD. The country group with the highest increase in textile exports in the January-April period was the Former Eastern Bloc Countries with an increase of 22%. Compared to the previous year, the only export market that declined in this period was the Middle East Countries.
In the January-April period of 2018, the Turkish textile industry most exported to Italy. Textile exports to Italy in this period increased by 8.5% to 320 million USD. The second largest market in exports was Germany. In the first four months of the year textile exports to Germany increased by 11.5% to 297 million USD. Bulgaria followed Germany for textile exports. Textile exports to Bulgaria decreased by 12.7% in this period and amounted to about 200 million USD.
Increase in Textile Exports Continues To Encourage The Positive Mood: woven fabrics, yarn and knitted fabrics are the most important export products
When textile and raw materials exports in the first four months of 2018 are examined, it is seen that the most important product group is woven fabric. This product group accounts for 24.8% of textile and raw materials exports. Woven fabric exports increased by 11% compared to the same period last year and reached 887 million USD value. The exports of this product group in April rose by 7.9% to 223 million USD.
The yarn group was the second most important product group in the first four months of the year with 18.2% share. Yarn exports were worth 650 million USD in the first four months of the year and they increased by 9.6% in April to 153 million USD.
The third most important product group of the textile industry in January-February 2018 was knitted fabric. Knitted products, representing 14.9% of total textile exports, increased exports by 2.9% up to 533 million USD. On the other hand, exports in April amounted to 133 million USD with a decrease of 0.4%. In the January-April period, fiber exports increased by 8.7% to 211 million USD. In April alone, exports of this product increased by 34.9% to 55 million USD.
Home textiles fabric exports increased by 12%, while home textiles exports increased by 7.3%
Looking closely at the exports of home textile fabrics, an exports increased by 12.8% in January-February 2018 period to about 167 million USD can be observed. In April alone, exports of the industry reached 40 million USD with an increase of 12.4%.
According to the product groups, the highest exports in the first four months of the year were achieved in curtain fabrics with 16.9% increase and were worth about 120 million USD. The second major product group was upholstery fabrics with an increase of 1% and a value of 42 million USD. The third most important product group in exports was terry towel fabrics with a 30.6% increase and a value of 5 million USD.
Home textiles exports increased by 7.3% in the first four months of the year to 623 million USD. In April, exports of home textile products increased by 9% to 153 million USD. In the first four months of the year, towels and cleaning cloths, which account for 34.8% of total home textiles exports, did not show any change compared to the same period of last year earning 217 million USD. In April, exports of this product increased by 1.5%. Exports of the bed sheeting group; the second major product group in home textiles; increased by about 10% to about 155 million USD. In January-April period; home textile product group with the highest increase in exports; was table clothing with an increase of 41.2%. The highest decrease in a product was at the blankets with 12.9% decrease.