İKMİB Honors 2021 Export Stars

The export stars of Turkey's second-largest exporting sector, chemicals, have been announced for 2021. At the İKMİB (Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters Association) Stars of Exports Awards Ceremony, held annually, 170 award winners were identified across 34 categories. Turkey's second-largest exporting sector, chemicals, set a new record in 2021 with exports of USD 25.4 billion. The sector's exports grew by 39 percent in 2021. İKMİB, representing over 8,500 active exporting companies, accounted for 58.75 percent of Turkey's total chemical exports. The chemicals sector, which operates strategically in the economy by providing raw materials or semi-finished products to 16 subsectors ranging from plastics to paints and from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals, delivers significant added value to the national economy with an 11.2 percent share of total exports. According to data from the first three quarters of 2021, global chemical exports stood at USD 3.07 trillion, while the Turkish chemicals sector held a 0.76 percent share in global sectoral exports, ranking 29th. The 2021 İKMİB Stars of Exports Awards Ceremony, held for the seventh time this year by İKMİB to honor and encourage member companies for their successful exports, saw 170 companies ranking in the top five across 34 categories in chemical subsectors and product groups earn awards.

"Our chemicals sector demonstrates it is among Turkey's leading sectors in PMI"

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Deputy Minister of Trade Rıza Tuna Turagay recalled that the country's year-end export target is USD 250 billion and said: "Our exports are growing. We closed 2021 with 11 percent growth. We became one of the countries achieving the highest growth rate in the world. When we look at PMI figures, we see the chemicals sector and plastics sector before us. Our chemicals and plastics sector clearly and explicitly demonstrates that it is among Turkey's leading sectors in PMI. The chemicals sector completed last year with USD 25.4 billion in exports. This year, as of 20 March in the first three months, it reached USD 6.4 billion. We are talking about a 37.1 percent increase. While Turkey's total exports grew by 32.9 percent last year, our chemicals sector increased its exports by 38.8 percent. Looking at this year, while our exports grew by 21.4 percent in the first two months, our chemicals sector increased its exports by 37 percent. There are high increases in raw material prices and commodities, but we still achieve successes thanks to you. The sector has a structure dependent on 75 percent imports. For this reason, investments that will open Turkey's future are important, such as industrial zones, super incentives, and petrochemical investments. Our share in global exports is 0.5 percent. We need to raise this much higher. We need to work more and invest more. There is still a long way for us in the chemicals sector. The Chemistry Technology Center is an important breakthrough, an important step."

"We support the Chemistry Technology Center project"

Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated in his remarks that the chemicals sector is very important and very critical, saying: "The chemicals sector is a very important sector worldwide. There is no developed country that has succeeded without developing this sector. Because we are talking about a sector that provides critical contributions to the development of many sectors and provides 77 out of every 100 products it produces as inputs to other sectors. We are aware of this importance and we conduct our work with this understanding. We have worked very closely with our Exporters Association and our stakeholders so far. We designed the Momentum Program together. We jointly identified priority products and innovative technology areas. Soon, we hope to announce the results of this program and continue to open the way for many R&D projects and investments that will add value to Turkey's future. As the Ministry, we have prioritized the chemicals sector in our project-based support. In the Chemistry Technology Center project that we are working on together, our support will be with you. We will collectively carry Turkey's National Technology Initiative goals first to 2023 and then to much higher targets," he said.

"As of today, our chemicals sector has risen to the position of first sector"

Turkish Exporters Council (TİM) President İsmail Gülle, emphasizing that last year was unforgettable in every sense, said: "We completed 2021 with a great record. Now we have an export target of USD 250 billion ahead of us. Last year, Turkey demonstrated with USD 25 billion in additional exports the commitment to becoming a supply center that we frequently mentioned regarding the supply chain disruptions. Turkey will contribute to many positive developments related to this supply center in the following period. We see that in this post-pandemic world where conflict and regional economics will be reshaped in the coming period, Turkey will be the shining star. Your role as exporters will be the greatest strength of this. Our chemicals sector was our second sector last year, but looking at the figures this year, as of today, our chemicals sector has risen to the position of first sector. In the two and a half months so far, the export performance of our chemicals sector truly deserves much applause. I sincerely congratulate you on this success. From third to second, from second to first... We take pride in this sector. Our country captured more than 1 percent share in world trade for the first time in 2021. Therefore, our target is to capture a 1 percent share in world trade as the chemicals sector. We believe we will achieve the USD 50 billion export target by 2030. The fact that our Ministry of Industry and Technology allocated such a building to our sector in the Technology Valley demonstrates their confidence in the sector's potential and future. I thank the Minister. We hope that the research and development conducted here will contribute to our goal of higher value-added exports. Therefore, it is a very important project, and I heartily congratulate it. We take pride in our chemicals sector. I congratulate all our exporters who will receive awards today."

"We are prepared for digital transformation"

Reminding that last year's awards ceremony was broadcast online and on digital platforms due to the pandemic, İKMİB Board Chairman Adil Pelister said: "In 2020, we organized the first digital purchasing delegation, the first digital awards ceremony, the first virtual fair organization, and together with our Chemistry Sector Platform, the first digital Chemistry Sector Assembly, and in this way we proved that we were prepared for digital transformation. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the last two years have been quite difficult for all of us. Despite all adverse conditions, we fought hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and successfully adapted quickly to this difficult period. Of course, we cannot overlook the support of our state. I consider it a duty to thank our President, our Government, and our public bureaucracy."

"We will inaugurate the Chemistry Technology Center this year"

Noting that the world has entered a new era after Corona and a new order has been established, Pelister said: "Undoubtedly, we as a country should also be among the game-makers of this new order with a comprehensive understanding. For deep economic fluctuations to enter an upward trend again and to gain rapid upward momentum, we need to produce and export high-technology and high value-added products. As İKMİB, to benefit from these fluctuations in favor of our sector and country, we are putting into action this year the Chemistry Technology Center project that we have been working on for two years. It will contain internationally accredited reference laboratories that will reduce our exporters' sample costs by approximately 70 percent and provide time savings, create opportunities for new discoveries through entrepreneurship and start-up areas and crowdfunding organizations, revive industry-university cooperation, provide intelligence, index and trend support to our SME-status companies that want to export and develop their exports through the SME Support Center, and open scientific publications to users at the touch of a button through its digital library. I am honored to share with you the justified pride of signing such an important project. We hope to hold its inauguration also within this year together."

"By 2030, we aim for first place in sectoral terms with USD 50 billion in exports"

Expressing that they have determined the "Vision 2030" strategy for the new period in chemicals exports, Pelister said: "Our goal is to increase our chemicals sector exports to USD 50 billion by 2030 and establish ourselves in first place on a sectoral basis. I have no doubt we will achieve this. For the coming year, within the framework of the 2030 vision, we are rolling up our sleeves to organize an international assembly as the Chemistry Sector Platform. Through this assembly, we will also create our 2023-2030 Chemistry Industry Strategy Document. All our effort and goal is 2030. Because global institutions and organizations and our state also organize their sustainability-based economic development goals according to their 2030 plans. The United Nations goals are also in this direction. With all these projects, we will earn the prestigious Global Compact status that the United Nations Development Program gives to reputable institutions for İKMİB," he said.