13.11.2018 Ankara
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and the Minister of Commerce Ruhsar Pekcan signed a protocol to establish Export Support Offices in 25 Chambers in 16 provinces. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “These offices will inform companies in order to increase the number of exporters; will explain export supports, and they will guide the exporters in every way.”
Export
Support Office Cooperation Protocol was signed by TOBB President Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu and Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan at a ceremony held at the TOBB
Twin Towers. Hisarcıklıoğlu, speaking at the signing ceremony, said, “Turkey's
85% of exports are undertaken by 10 provinces. We’ve begun efforts to establish
'export support offices' in 6 more provinces in addition to the 10. We started
building work. We have increased the number of chambers which export support
offices will be set up to 25.” Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the public and private
sectors are focusing on new products, new markets, new exporters.”
Pointing
out that Turkey, the world's 17th largest economy, ranks 32nd
in exports, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that of the 1.5 million entrepreneurs in
Turkey, only 72,000 (5%) are exporters. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the number
of exporters who have been exporting continually for 10 years has not reached
10,000.
Stressing
that the companies are not open enough to international trade, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said:
“We
still do not know enough about exporting. Ranking 12th in Greece's
imports, 9th for Bulgaria and 22nd for Russia. Turkish
goods should have an advantage in these countries with both quality and price.
Get on a plane from Turkey, in 4 hours you reach a market of 9 trillion dollars
and 2 billion people. The export range of Turkey is currently about 2,900
kilometers. Israel's exports range is 5,600 kilometers. Years ago, a World Bank
report pointed out that 'the same companies in Turkey, sell the same goods to
the same markets.' Years have passed and the situation is still the same.”
- “Our chambers will guide
exporters”
Stating
that it 85% of Turkey's exports are undertaken by just 10 provinces, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “Four of these provinces are in the Marmara Region, 3 in the Aegean
region, Ankara in Central Anatolia, Hatay in the Mediterranean Region and,
Gaziantep in the Southeast Anatolia Region.”
Reminding
that in Minister Pekcan's 100-Day Action Plan, at least 10 provinces are
planned to have export support offices set up in their chambers and exchanges Hisarcıklıoğlu,
reported that they have began efforts to establish offices in an additional 6
provinces with the number of chambers to have offices established increased to
25.
Hisarcıklıoğlu
emphasized that these chambers will inform companies in order to increase the
number of exporters and will explain export supports.
“Our
Chambers will guide exporters on all subjects. Our Ministry of Commerce gives
important incentives and supports for exportation. The economy is at the heart
of our chambers. The needs and demands of the companies come first to our chambers.
Our chambers and exchanges can provide direct service to every company, have
the capacity to lead. Our responsibility and motivation are even higher. We
will reap together the fruits of focus on our goals by adding new exporters to
the economy and breaking new export records. We look to the future with hope. Together,
we will ensure Turkey wins.”
- Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan
Trade
Minister Ruhsar Pekcan stated that for the first stage, 16 provinces, 25
chambers and exchanges will have export support offices established, “These 16
cities, with 53.6 billion dollars in exports in 2017 conducted one-third of our
total exports. Our goal is now to increase these numbers even more as well as
supporting provinces with little to no exports.”
Pekcan
stated that their goal as the Ministry is to spread exporting beginning with
SMEs, then to the economy as a whole.
Pekcan
stated that in a sense, it could be called an “exportation mobilization,” and they
want to see all the actors of the business world in this mobilization.
Pekcan
stressed that the way to increase exports is through fast and accurate access to
information for the business world:
“The
more our business world is well-equipped and knowledgeable, the higher the rate
of increase in exports. Therefore, we organized the Communication Points
Training Program on September 24-25. We consider the representatives from 72
chambers of commerce and industry who participated in this program as representatives
of our Ministry. As the Ministry, we are taking a very important step with the
support of TOBB today in order to carry out all of our work together with our
local stakeholders. All our exporters will have the knowledge and equipment at
international standards and export support offices will be in constant
communication with our Ministry. In the first phase, we will establish export
support offices in 16 provinces with 25 chambers and exchanges. These 16
provinces conducted one third of our exports in 2017 with 53.6 billion dollars
of exports volume.”
Pekcan
stating that the number of export support offices will be increased, said, “Our
goal is now to increase these numbers even more as well as supporting provinces
with little to no exports. We will establish support offices in other chambers
as well.”
Minister
Pekcan, then signed the Export Support Office Cooperation Protocol with TOBB
President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.