What do you know about the Turkish wool industry?

One of the most important and influential sectors in the Turkish economy is the textile and clothing industry. This has made Turkish wool one of the most popular products that is used to produce various products.

Note that in 2007 Turkey was able to account for 21% of the world’s garment exports, which is a sign of the amazing and high quality of its textile industry. In Turkey, more than 35,000 textile companies use Turkish wool to design and produce high-quality products.

Turkey is one of the main players in the field of textile and clothing production around the world. It is the fourth largest supplier worldwide and the second largest supplier in the European Union. This shows the strength of the textile industry in Turkey.

Note that this industry has a very decisive role in world trade, which has been able to use suitable raw materials such as quality Turkish wool and produce clothes in high quality and beautiful design, in a very wide range of different types of products. Turkish products in this field have a lot of fans in the global and international market.

Statistical data on Turkey domestic wool production

Given what we have told you, it makes sense to also point out that Turkish wool production is relatively large and influential domestically. Turkey needs to have access to quality raw materials to produce different types of textiles.

This issue has caused the domestic production of Turkish wool to be relatively high and suitable to be able to provide a good percentage of the country’s needs. To produce any product, we need raw material, and the raw material used to produce different types of textiles is wool. In 2016, Turkey produced about 68 tons of wool.

The country’s annual production is about the same, but it may increase or decrease under certain conditions. It is interesting to know that for various reasons, Turkish wool production grew significantly in 2014 and broke its multi-year record with 260 tons.

A variety of reasons have been influential in this regard. If we want to draw a line chart for you, the production of this country in the field of Turkish wool is relatively smooth and is about sixty to seventy tons. Below you can see a snapshot of the Turkish wool manufacturing industry.

Statistical data on Turkey’s domestic wool production

How much wool is imported from NZ, Australia, and other countries to Turkey?

Based on what we have already told you, you have certainly realized that the domestic production of Turkish wool is not enough to provide raw materials for the entire Turkish textile industry. For this reason, the country needs to import wool from other countries to obtain raw materials for the production of various types of textiles.

In addition to using 100% of all Turkish wool produced, Turkey also imports wool from countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and various other countries that are famous in the field of wool production, so that it can satisfy the needs.

This issue makes Turkey not lagging behind other countries in the field of textile production and can maintain its position in this field.

Which companies are the main users of wool in Turkey?

You may also be wondering what are the main industries in which Turkish wool is used. In general, there are many industries in which wool has a great impact not only in Turkey but all over the world. As you may know, wool has insulating properties and can be used as a temperature insulator. For this reason, it is possible to use wool in various fields of construction to produce suitable design insulation.

Another important field in which Turkish wool is used is the production of different types of clothing. Wool is turned into yarn at every initial stage after harvest, and these yarns can be used in the production of various fabrics. In the next steps, these fabrics can reach the customers as clothes and have the most suitable and best features.

Woollen garments are one of those garments that have amazing properties and can keep us cool in summer and warm in winter. In addition, wool is by no means allergenic and can be a very suitable option for everyone.

In general, the production of various types of yarns and fabrics in Turkey using Turkish wool has a very hot market and many people are working in this field in Turkey.

Turkish wool is used for what type of products?

We have already told you in which industries it is possible to use Turkish wool. Now we want to tell you which products are used to produce wool in Turkey, and in fact, we will talk to you in a more comprehensive and complete way about the use of Turkish wool.

wool is a unique natural fiber with interesting specifications, it can be used in all textile sectors like carpet yarn for woollen hand-made or machine-made carpets, fine yarn for weaving soft fabrics for home textile and apparel especially men suites, using in woollen socks production, Sweaters, socks, suits, pants, underwear, hats, gloves, other forms of cold-weather gear, carpets, firefighting gear, insulation and … . Normally woollen products are suitable for luxury markets as the price of wool is higher than synthetic fibres or cotton

Due to the suitability and wonder of clothing products, Turkey uses a high percentage of Turkish wool to produce different types of clothing. This is quite natural and logical because the country’s income from the export of various types of clothing is relatively high.

In addition to clothing, manufacturers in Turkey use Turkish wool to produce different types of other products, such as woollen carpets. Woollen carpets have unique properties and this has made them two very important options for production and export.

So far, you are fully acquainted with the uses of Turkish wool. The two things that we have told you more about, namely woollen clothes and different types of carpets, are among the two most popular and important products that are made from Turkish wool and have a good market in the field of export and can earn a lot of money for Turkish producers.

When it is woven into textiles, wool has a natural waviness called “crimp.” This crimp contributes to wool’s insulative properties, which exist because the bulkiness of wool naturally traps air. Some types of wool have more crimp than others, and the more crimp there is in a woolen garment, the more insulative it is.

Compared to cotton and other plant-based or synthetic textile materials, wool is highly flame-resistant. It doesn’t spread flame, and instead, it chars and self-extinguishes. Therefore, this type of textile is highly useful in applications in which the reduction of flammability is desired.

Conclusion

If you have ever used Turkish products made in the field of clothing, surely, you are fascinated by the quality of these products. Due to its high expertise in the production of various types of clothing, Turkey has been able to be recognized as a high-quality manufacturer around the world.

This issue has made the Turkish wool raw material in this country a very widely used and suitable raw material and it is very valuable in this country. There are many countries that do not use their wool raw material as much as Turkey, but in addition to fully using all of its products, Turkey uses importing to fully satisfy its need for this product.

Akkaraman ; The most widespread breed of sheep in Turkey

So, what is Akkaraman sheep, what features does it have? We can list the general characteristics of the large-sized domestic sheep breed as follows:

•The bodies of Akkaraman sheep are narrow and long. You may notice that the backline is straight or has a slight dimple.
• Akkaraman sheep with long heads are known for their bare and hotoz-covered faces. Heads of rams are slightly convex.
• You can see that their ears are long and drooping.
• Long and strong legs with strong and hard nails.
• The white body draws attention.
• You may see black spots on the head, nose, ears and feet.
• In addition to the head, the neck and legs are also fleece-free.
• It is noted that animals have coarse mixed fleece, and fleece is rare.
• Males of the neckless breed may have small horns.
• Their tails are S-shaped and oily. When you look at it from the back, you can notice that the tail appears to be three layers on top of each other. The bottom of the tail is wide, with a second heart-shaped piece on top and a long, lean, hairy, overhanging part on top.

What are the Distinctive Features of Akkaraman Sheep?

According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkey, endurance is one of the distinguishing features of the Akkaraman sheep breed.

The Akkaraman breed, which is highly resistant to diseases and bad conditions, is famous for being robust and contented. Even with poor care, malnutrition, and climate change, their adaptability overcomes challenges. Because this species has a fat tail, it has high viability even when malnourished.

In addition, the most docile breed among domestic breeds is Akkaraman sheep. Akkaraman sheep have a high herd instinct and motherhood. In addition, these animals, which can walk long distances, can also graze on poor pastures.

How should Akkaraman Sheep Raising Conditions Be?

The continental climate, with hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters, is suitable for Akkaraman sheep. The native breed, which has adapted to the steppe climate, can be easily grown in pastures that do not have much roughness and have weak vegetation.

Even in terms of feeding, a pasture-based program can be applied outside of profitable periods. In snowy times, you can offer a straw-based, grain-supported ratio. The animals, which can live in simple and low-cost pens, are raised in herds of 30 to 500 heads.

What are the body measurements of Akkaraman Sheep?

The height at the withers of Akkaraman sheep reaches 73 cm in males and 65 cm in females. The body length of the animals is 72 cm in males and 64 cm in females.

The live weight of Akkaraman adults is around 62 kilograms in males and 50 kilograms in females. The daily live weight gain corresponds to about 240 grams.

You can also keep in mind that the average birth weight of these animals is 4.7 kilograms for males and 4.4 kilograms for females.

What are the Yield Characteristics of Akkaraman Sheep?

• Lactation milk yield of Akkaraman sheep varies between 50 and 60 kilograms.
• It is noted that the lactation period is 140 days.
• Wool yield is 2.2 kilograms.
• Breeding age is around 16 to 18 months.
• Lamb productivity of Akkaraman sheep is about 1.2 month on average. The twin birth rate remains at 4-5%.
• The length of the bowl varies between 8 and 12 cm.
• The fiber diameter measures around 29 to 35 microns.
• While the tail weight of animals averages 4-6 kilograms, it rarely reaches 20 kilograms.

The below Graph show  The top 15 countries in Turkey’s wool and animal hair imports (Million USD). China with more than 32 million USD is the biggest exporter to Turkey and after that Czech with 23.1 million USD and Argentina with 15.3 million USD are the biggest source of Turkey for importing wool. countries like Uruguay, Australia, Romania, New Zealand, Italy, England Peru, Bulgaria, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria are placed in next ranks.

Graf 2 shows us the Top 15 Countries in Turkey’s Wool and Animal Hair Exports (Million USD) including China (8.1 million USD), England (3 Million USD), India(2.4 Million USD), Italy (1.7n Million USD), Portugal (1.6 Million USD) and Poland with (1 Million USD), among the exported products the biggest share belongs to Wollen fabric for home textiles and apparel and garment sectors.

thanks to the developed and high-technology spinning sector in Turkey, Turkish wool yarn manufacturers are able to produce high-quality wool yarn and that’s why many clients all around the world like to buy Turkish wool yarns which have good quality and competitive price, many European countries like England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland and … are among the Turkish wool yarn customers. You can see the Top 15 Countries in Turkey’s Export of Wool and Animal Hair Yarns (Million USD, 2019) in Graph 3.