Automotive firms dominate Turkey's list of largest exporters

Accounting for half of the top 10 companies, automotive firms have dominated Turkey's list of largest exporters, the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) announced on Saturday.

Ford was named Turkey’s largest exporter in 2020, followed by Toyota Engine Manufacturing Turkey and Oyak Renault.

Making it to the top 10 list were also major appliances producers Vestel and Arcelik, foreign trade companies Kibar and TGS, automotive firms Tofas and Mercedes Benz Turk, and chemical giant Tupras.

In the award ceremony, the sector champions were also announced in 28 different categories.

Last year, the country's exports reached almost $170 billion.

- Export target

TIM chairman Ismail Gulle said Turkey, which hit a historical high of $180 billion in export figures in 2019, will top $210 billion this year to beat it.

It will hit $300 billion in 2026, he added.

There are opportunities and risks for Turkey on the global scale but exporters make efforts for turning risks into opportunities, he stated.

Touching on the services sector, he said the sector was most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but Turkey increased its services exports during the first seven months of 2021 by 46% to $24.8 billion.

"Our target is to exceed $100 billion in services exports."

Also mentioning Turkey’s Green Action Plan, he said TIM contributes to it and prepared a road map with a motto of "Producing for the world without consuming the world."

In July, Turkey released its landmark Green Deal Action Plan.

The plan, released by the Trade Ministry, includes 32 objectives and 81 actions in nine categories to power Turkey’s transition to a more sustainable, greener economy in line to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

Gulle also said that exporters expect an international fair center in Istanbul for showcasing their products and TIM is ready for shouldering responsibility.

- Current surplus target

Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, for his part, said Turkey's exports have continued to grow this year despite global challenges thanks to the exporters' increased production capacity, credibility, and quality products.

"As the government, we are working to remove all the obstacles before the exporters," he underlined.

Turkey's target is to eradicate the current deficit issue completely, Mus said, adding that when Turkey will post current surplus with the contribution of goods and services exports, foreign currency stress, costs and inflation will decrease.

He stressed that the country focused on increasing the range of exporters from neighboring to faraway countries.