Costs Increased by Half in Ready-to-Wear

In ready-to-wear, costs have increased by half. Raw material prices rose by around 50 percent.

Sector representatives in Turkey continue to point out the increases in raw material and intermediate goods prices. In this context, TIM Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) Mustafa Gültepe made a statement to the AA correspondent. Speaking to AA, Gültepe stated that the problem of both cost increase and accessibility in raw materials and intermediate goods continues. Stating that the prices of raw materials and intermediate goods used by the ready-to-wear sector, especially cotton fiber and yarn, have increased, Gültepe stated that there has been a 50 percent increase on dollar basis in the last 3 months. Pointing out that there is a global increase in raw material costs, Gültepe made the following statements: “While the global increase is at the level of 20-25%, reaching 50% in Turkey weakens the competitive power of the sector. We take more measures to curb the export of fiber and yarn, which we can turn into value-added products, to countries that are our competitors in global markets. In this process, we want cotton fiber exports to be stopped, yarn exports to be taken under surveillance, at least a fund to be put in order not to be sold abroad for cheaper prices than the domestic market.”