The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is planned to be signed with Pakistan keeps getting negative reactions. The agreement emphasized to affect Turkish textile sector negatively by sector representatives, was disscussed on a press conference of Textile Engineers Chamber (TMMOB) Denizli branch affiliated to Turkey Machine Engineers Chamber.
Making a statement on the subject, TMMOB Denizli Branch Director Selçuk Aksarı said these; “The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) whose frame was signed on the 22nd of March 2016 and the end agreement is planned to be signed, will harm textile and readywear sector that we shroud partly in 2011. ” Reminding that the import made to Pakistan showed increase in 2011 and it has 11% share in textile products import, Aksarı defended that textile and readwear industry provided 200 thousand additional employment thanks to additional taxes applied in 2011. Stating that FTA signed with Pakistan will leave this unprotected, Aksarı commented; “ The unfair competition conditions occur in textile and readywear sector, will affect negatively the manufacturers. Denizli coming in the first place; garment and readywear industry and other textile segments coming after will have serious employment losses. ”
Import from Pakistan: 600 million dollars in 2011
Reminding that Turkey import 600 million dollars textile and readywear products in 2011; Aksarı stated that this number decreased to 200 million dollars in 2016. Aksarı said that the textile and readywear export on the other hand, was only around 32 million dollars. Repeating that FTA with Pakistan wil seriously affect the sector, Aksarı added that this agreement shouldn’t be signed.