Turkish Carpets Adorn Homes in 181 Countries

According to the data compiled from the Southeast Anatolia Exporters' Associations (GAİB), Turkish carpet producers exported 429 million 566 thousand square meters of carpets to 181 countries and free zones in the first 9 months of 2024. Generating a revenue of 2 billion 86 million 182 thousand dollars from this export, Turkish carpet manufacturers increased their exports by 6.7 percent compared to the same period last year. The sector earned the highest revenue from machine carpets with 1 billion 628 million 408 thousand dollars. Machine carpets were followed by tufted carpets (special design) with 382 million 620 thousand dollars, hand-knotted carpets with 68 million 225 thousand dollars, and kilims with 6 million 888 thousand dollars. While hand-knotted carpet exports increased by 101.4 percent compared to the same period last year, there was a 35 percent increase in kilim exports. The United States was the country that received the most carpet exports from Turkey with 586 million 386 thousand dollars. Saudi Arabia ranked second with 222 million 31 thousand dollars, followed by Iraq with 166 million 126 thousand dollars and the United Kingdom with 136 million 221 thousand dollars. Japan saw the highest increase in carpet exports with 96.3 percent in the first 9 months of the year, followed by the Netherlands with 73.2 percent and Iraq with 63.2 percent. GAİB, which holds a 67.9 percent share in Turkey's carpet exports, maintained its position as the association with the highest export volume, reaching 1 billion 416 million 265 thousand dollars in the first 9 months of the year. Zeynal Abidin Kaplan, President of the Southeast Anatolia Carpet Exporters' Association, stated that 2024 was a challenging year for the carpet sector as it was for many industries. Kaplan mentioned that they have implemented various projects to maintain the sector's strength, especially focusing on distant countries. He emphasized the efforts to increase market share in countries such as Malaysia, Australia, Mauritania, Senegal, India, and Japan through trade delegations. Kaplan also noted that conflicts in Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East have negatively affected trade with those countries, and they are trying to tolerate this by exploring different markets. He expressed confidence in achieving their end-of-year targets and stated that they would strive to maintain Gaziantep's leadership in the carpet sector.