Country’s export earnings from Turkey in the July-April period of current financial year 2015-16 declined by 10.73 per cent to US$ 518.87 million from US$ 581.25 million in the same period of financial year 2014-15 due to fall of export of major item readymade garments. Exporters said that economic slowdown and safeguard duty imposed by Turkey on apparel imports were the reasons for the declining export trend. At the same time, Turkey has been facing economic problems as Russia imposed partial ban on some export items, they said.Turkish clothing and textile exporters, however, said that instead of import they have been trying to increase their capacity to meet the domestic demand of readymade garments. The readymade garment exports to Turkey in the first 10 months of the FY16 decreased by 7.67 per cent to US$ 358.26 million from US$ 388.04 million in the FY15, according to the Export Promotion Bureau data. Following readymade garment products, Jute and jute products were one of the major export items to Turkish market. Earnings from jute and jute products in the July-April period of current financial year 2015-16 decreased by 17.94 per cent to US$ 13934 million from US$ 169.82 million in the same period of FY 15, the EPB data showed. ‘In recent time, Turkish economy is struggling due to the refugee crisis in Europe and at the same time a partial sanction by Russia on particular Turkish products including food products, fruits and vegetables that posed a negative impact on the economy of Turkey,’ Shahidullah Azim, former vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told New Age on Monday. He said that after importing from Bangladesh a good quantity of RMG were re-exported to Russia from Turkey but the business almost halted after the downing of one Russian fighter jet by Turkey in last year. Azim also said that due to economic crisis, Turkish importers have decreased import of RMG and also offered low prices for the products.Turkey, which is also a major RMG and textile producing country and a competitor of Bangladesh on the world market with around US$ 29 billion annual export, imposed the safeguard duty in September 2011 at a rate of 17 per cent on apparel imports from the least developed countries including Bangladesh. Due to the imposition of duty, the export earnings from Turkey declined by 24.23 per cent to US$ 551.87 million in the financial year 2011-12 from US$ 724.45 million in the FY11. Overcoming the barrier of safeguard duty, the country’s export to Turkey increased to US$ 637.81 million in the financial year 2012-13 from US$ 551.87 million in FY 12. In the FY 14, export earnings increased to US$ 856.19 million while the earnings started to decline in FY 15 and amounted US$ 720.88 million in the financial year. ‘Turkish imports from Bangladesh declined as we concentrated in creating variety in fashion and develop the quality of our product, to consolidate our stand in the world fashion market,’ Pinar Tasdelen Engin, vice president of Uludag Exporters Association, told New Age recently. Turkey mainly imports basic products from Bangladesh for re-export but now the country (Turkey) has increased its capacity at the high-end segment and so import from Bangladesh has decreased, she said. Turkish textile industry has expanded its capacity and the sector is moving forward with technology up-gradation to gain more market share of high-end garment products in the globe, Tasdelen said.
