According to the import and export data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), while foreign machinery manufacturers are losing power in the Turkish textile market, it is evident that the market leader European manufacturers have started to leave the contracting market to Far Eastern manufacturers. To recall, Turkey's textile machinery imports were recorded as 2 billion three hundred sixty-nine million one hundred fifty-four thousand seven hundred three dollars in 2022. Due to the earthquake in 2023 and the economic recession in our country, textile machinery imports decreased and fallen to 1 billion 956 million 435 thousand 253 American dollars, while marking a significant reduction.
Textile Machinery Exports Also Decreased
Turkish Textile Machinery manufacturers' annual exports decreased by 10% on an annual basis, falling from 911,716,560 USD to 830,009,167 USD. Last year, Turkish textile manufacturers either cancelled or postponed their investments due to economic uncertainty and the impact of the major earthquake.
Due to the cancellation of new investments, textile machinery imports decreased by 20% to 1.9 billion dollars in 2023. Technologies related to the textile and apparel sectors, coded with the Standard International Trade Classification in GTIP, are listed in detail. Import and export assessment according to GTIP codes are listed as follows.
Imports of Machinery No. 8444 GTIP Decreased by 21%
In GTİP, under the list 8444, there are machines used for drawing and texturing synthetic or artificial materials suitable for weaving, under the name of machines that manufacture, weave and cut fibers in woven materials. It is seen that the import of this machinery item decreased by 21% to 175,573,551 USD in 2023, while it was 212,909,071 USD in 2022.
Our exports have increased in the same item classification. While our exports were 1,764,639 USD in 2022, this figure fivefolded by 500% to 10,638,001 USD in 2023.
No Stoppage in Yarn Machinery Imports
According to TÜİK data, Turkish textile machinery manufacturers realized the import figure of 677,342,467 USD in 2022 for the import of machines that prepare fibers, produce and prepare yarns specified by GTIP code 8445, with an average increase of 10 percent in 2022, reaching 684,355,651 USD. Due to the inadequacy of domestic producers in yarn machines, our exports in 8445 GTIP coded products, which stand out as the item on which we spend the most money on imports, seem to have decreased significantly by 60%, from 41,092,097 USD to 25,241,340 USD.
Weaving Machine Imports Decreased
The products included in the export item with GTIP code 8446, which encompasses weaving looms, are listed as follows; weaving machines fabric width <30 cm, motorized shuttle weaving machines fabric width >30 cm. While the export figures of these machines were a total of 31,883,015 dollars in 2022, these figures decreased to 21,21,655,660 dollars in 2023. There was a decrease in import figures in this item classification, as in many other product classifications. Our imports, which were 298,538,122 dollars in 2022, decreased by 14% to 212,427,260 dollars.
Huge Reduction in Imports of Knitting Machines
Knitting looms, coded as 8447 on the GTIP list, machines and various devices for the production of fluff, tulle, lace and net, constitute another item of the textile export sector. The titles included in these machines and devices are; spherical needle household type circular knitting machines cylinder diameter <165mm, spherical needle industrial type circular knitting machines cylinder diameter <165mm, spherical needle household type circular knitting machines cylinder diameter >165mm, household type flat knitting machines, industrial type flat knitting machines, household type sewing-knitting machines, industrial type sewing-knitting machines, embroidery machines, machines that make ribbon and lace, and other tulle and lace machines. The export figures of these items were 15,359,881 dollars last year and 21,823,955 dollars in the same period of this year. Our imports for 2022, which were 382,466,777 dollars, decreased by 38% to 227,664,226 dollars in 2023.
Rapier and Jacquard Machinery Imports Decreased
The list includes rapiers and jacquards, jacquard reducing, copying, piercing or combining machines, auxiliary machines for machines for spinning textile yarns suitable for weaving, production nozzles, other parts and accessories of machines preparing textile fibers suitable for weaving and spindles for machines preparing textile fibers suitable for weaving coded as 8448 where a 8% decrease in imports in the group was recorded. While the export figures of these machines were determined as 63,271,054 dollars in the 2022 annual period, it was recorded as 50,650,045 dollars in the same period of 2023. In the import classification of the same products, 2023 TÜİK data, which was 191,764,879 dollars, decreased by 8% to 178,990,373 dollars.
Imports of Machinery No. GTIP 8449 Decreased by 64%
It is stated that the export items are at the lowest level in the group of parts and accessories of felt and textile manufacturing machines, which are included in the GTIP list with the code 8449. It is further stated that 2,179,613 dollars were exported in this field in the January-December 2022 period and 2,427,104 dollars were exported in 2023. The increase trend in exports seems to show an opposite trend in imports. Import data for 2022, which was 114,517,849 dollars, has fallen to 41,219,626 dollars in 2023.
Exports and Imports Decreased in Washing Machines
The product range of machines and devices for washing, drying and ironing woven materials is specified with the GTIP code 8451. Dry cleaning machines, household type drying machines, ironing machines and pers, washing machines used in industry, bleaching machines, dyeing machines, finishing and finishing machines, parts and accessories of dry cleaning machines, parts and accessories of other textile machines, machines for winding textiles into balls, dry laundry containers <10 kg, other drying machines dry laundry containers <10 kg, machines for cutting textiles into shapes, machines for opening, folding and cutting textiles, textiles etc. pastry coating machines in the manufacture of Linoleum etc. constitute the subheadings of this segment. In this item classification, which has the highest export figure, it is seen that Turkish machinery manufacturers achieved an export figure of 715,582,943 dollars in 2022. In 2023, exports will decrease by 8% compared to the previous year, reaching 658,272,005 dollars. Imported machines, which pursue a downward trend in washing machines every year due to the influence of Turkish production machines, finalized the year 2023 with a decrease as well. When the data for 2022-2023 is analyzed, it is seen that the downward trend continues and imports have decreased by 10%, diminishing to 270,123,099 dollars. The import of machines with GTİP code 8451 was at the level of 295,039,904 dollars in 2022.
The item classification coded 8452, which represents the last product group listed in GTIP, includes textile machinery and equipment, furniture, needles and parts. In this list, it is seen that the export figure, which was 40,637,318 dollars in 2022, decreased slightly to 39,300,857 dollars in the same period of 2023. In this item classification, where our imports tend to decrease while exports are decreasing, imports, which were 196,575,634 dollars in 2022, decreased to 165,900,106 dollars in 2023, with a decrease of 18%.
