Textile industry seeking to expand in Latin America

Turkish textile companies seeking to widen their global outreach are exploring opportunities in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

A delegation from the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Association (İTKİB) recently paid visits to those countries to hold talks with high-level government officials.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez received Ahmet Öksüz, the head of İTKİB and the board members of the association.

The İKTİB delegation also held meetings with officials from the Cuban Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Ministry, the Industry Ministry and Tourism Ministry.

In the Dominican Republic, the Turkish businesspeople met with the country's trade minister.

"We held a series of very productive meetings in Cuba and the Dominican Republic to boost bilateral trade ties," Öksüz said.

"We are planning to organize missions such as procurement and trade delegations to turn our recent visits to those countries into trade deals," he said.

They invited the representatives of the textile industry in Cuba and the Dominican Republic to the trade fairs in Türkiye, he added.

He recalled the Turkish textile industry's export revenues amounted to $12.9 billion last year.

"We will focus on distant markets which offer opportunities," Öksüz added.

The combined worth of the annual production by the Turkish textile and apparel sectors is around $80 billion, Öksüz also said.

Leather firms optimistic

Meanwhile, the Turkish leather apparel industry is optimistic about a rebound in foreign demand for its products after having seen strong attendance at the trade show held in the province of Antalya.

Companies operating in the industry have been concerned about the...