Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of ASD: It Is High Time for Export Mobilization

Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of ASD Turkish Packaging Manufacturers Association declared that the industry achieved 5.3 billion US dollars' worth of exports in the first 10 months of this year. Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir said: “In the current situation although the exchange rate inflation in the world gives manufacturers problems, we should focus more on exports and invest in raw materials.”

The packaging industry, which exported 2.5 million tons of products achieving 5.3 billion dollars in the first 10 months of 2021, had a foreign trade surplus of 2.3 billion dollars as of the end of October. ASD Turkish Packaging Manufacturers Association, the umbrella NGO of the sector, assessed the year 2021. Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of the ASD stated that per capita packaging consumption has increased with the pandemic. He noted that the share of packaging in the total cost of the product is between 3 and 5 percent.

“WE MUST INVEST IN RAW MATERIAL”

Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir noted that the fluctuations in the exchange rates cause difficulties for manufacturers that buy in foreign currency but make sales in Turkish liras and said: “The raw material inflation and exchange rate fluctuations in the world cause us problems. I always repeated “export, export, export” to those manufacturers who produce for the domestic market and have problems. I am happy that our President also uses these expressions resolutely. If our companies will go forward, they can do that with exports. Now we need to invest in raw materials. In the summer months, we collect payments of the products we sell at a rate of 9 liras for one dollar. The day we collect the payment, even when prices of raw materials remain stable, if you sold 1,000 tons, you replace it with only 500 kilos. Working capital has eroded. Buying in foreign currency and selling in Turkish liras has become one of the major problems.”

“PACKAGING DOES NOT INCREASE COSTS”

Emphasizing that there has been a rapid increase in packaging consumption with the pandemic process, Mr. Zeki Sarıbekir, President of the ASD said: “In the same period, there was a decrease in the packaging of catering and hotel-restaurant products. We can say that 2021 is the year when these products stabilize. Thanks to the gradual opening of tourism and services of the food and beverage sector, profitability levels of packaging manufacturer companies also increased. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the demand for the packaging industry increased even more. Packaging ensures hygiene. Packaging is an indispensable aspect of e-commerce. In this context, it is useful to repeat once again that the packaging will not exceed 3 to 5 percent of a product in terms of cost.”

Sincerely,

ASD Turkish Packaging Manufacturers Association