The Turkish textile and raw materials sector experienced a challenging first half of 2024, with exports declining by 5% compared to the same period in 2023. Exports fell from $5.8 billion to $5.6 billion, according to the ‘2024 June Export Performance’ report published by İTHİB. The apparel and garment sector was particularly affected, with exports decreasing by 13.6%, from $8.8 billion to $7.6 billion.
Despite the overall decline in the textile sector, Türkiye’s general exports increased by 2%, reaching $125.4 billion. However, the textile sector’s contribution to total exports dropped to 4.4%, while the apparel sector’s share was 6.1%.
Country-wise, the top markets for Turkish textiles were Italy, Germany, and the USA. Exports to Italy fell by 6.5%, from $467 million to $436 million, and exports to Germany declined by 11.1%, from $408 million to $363 million. Conversely, exports to the USA rose by 7.6%, from $336 million to $361 million.
The steepest declines in the Turkish textile sector were observed in knitted fabrics and home textiles, with decreases of 12% and 13.6%, respectively. Among the top three product categories, woven fabric exports dropped by 7.3%, technical textiles by 2.5%, and yarns by 0.7%. Fibre was the only category to see an increase, with a 4.7% rise in exports.
Despite the export challenges, the Turkish textile industry’s capacity utilization rate showed a gradual increase, rising from 69.5% in January to 73.3% in June 2024.
