According to official figures, Turkey, one of the world's leading manufacturers in the fields of textile and garment, has recorded an export volume of about 25 billion dollars in this sector last year. This figure includes $ 17 billion of garment exportation and the rest of this figure was obtained by yarns, fabrics and other textile products. It is known that the export figures of textile and apparel sectors are much more than official figures. It is estimated that the export volume of suitcase trade, which is not reflected in Exporters Unions' records, reaches 10 billion dollars annually.
The suitcase trade, which was started with Poles who came to Istanbul and took garment products to their country, peaked especially after the collapse of the USSR. The suitcase trade, which was firstly continued in Laleli, Osmanbey and Merter, played a significant role in the development of foreign trade of Turkey with such countries as Russia and Turkic Republics.
Suitcase Trade
The suitcase trade, which has lost its old density in recent years, has rallied thanks to the African countries, especially Nigeria and Kenya, Sub Saharan African countries; Turkey has recently made a great effort in order to develop political and economic relations with them.
Making a statement about this issue, Laleli Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (LASIAD) Chairman, Gıyasettin Eyyüpkoca expressed that the products are exported to such countries as Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia through shuttle trade Pointing out to the fact that the industrial products are not manufactured in these countries, Eyüpkoca said that they opt for suitcase trade and they prefer Turkey for this kind of trade in order import textile and garment products. Emphasizing that Turkish products are of good quality and cheaper compared to European products and this is an important factor, Eyüpkoca said that: "All kinds of products can be sold to these countries. The garment and home textile products are sold from Laleli through suitcase trade. The products are bought for cash. So, there is not any payment problem.”.
The Delegations Will Come from Africa
Stating that they have held Laleli Fashion Shopping Festival since 2012 in order to increase the export volume in this region, Eyüpkoca expressed that they will invite purchasing delegations from different African countries to the event which will be held on 11-17 August.
"Sub-Saharan African countries are extremely untouched markets in terms of trade. Trying to integrate into the world, these countries import just about every product. The market needs to be evaluated very well. This year, we will invite purchasing committees to the festival through our commercial attaches in these countries. We are making preparations for this. Thus, we will introduce our products and Laleli onsite. If the procedures are changed for the easing of export, our trade volume will increase further. With Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICC) , we think to hold a fair in one of the African countries.” said Eyüpkoca. Stating that the country, where the fair will be held, is not certain, Eyüpkoca expressed that a survey was conducted in Laleli in order to determine the country where the fair will be held, so it is possible to determine the country which has the highest export potential.
In a statement to our magazine, LASIAD General Secretary, Şerafettin Yüzüak said that they have acquired customers from Nigeria, Niger, Kenya and Ghana especially in recent years. Saying that Africans are different physically, Yüzüak expressed that they started the production for Africans' body size. Yüzüak said: "We want that African importers can see our market. These countries look like Russia and Ukraine, which conducted same method in trade in the 1990s, in terms of suitcase trade In the process of time, all of these countries will become very important markets. Especially from Nigeria, we have some customers who come continually There is high demand for children's clothing. They import high quality and fashion products.”.
