Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Özakalın emphasized that the issues discussed at the last meeting in June 2025, namely raw material supply, cost increases, and market conditions, remain high on the sector’s agenda. He stated that the rates and coefficients published under the New Domestic Goods Regulation, the global and Turkish economic outlook for 2026, opinions on increasing the number of installments for furniture purchases, and evaluations regarding the International Istanbul Furniture Fair would be comprehensively discussed at the meeting, and then gave the floor to the Council members.

The first agenda item of the meeting involved a briefing by the Ministry of Industry and Technology regarding the regulations issued under the Domestic Product Regulation (SGM-2024/10) published in the Official Gazette dated January 25, 2025, and numbered 32793. In this context, it was stated that the new rates to be applied in Domestic Contribution Ratio calculations and the imported input coefficients were published on the Ministry’s website. It was also stated that the aforementioned rate and coefficient lists would be reviewed and updated every June and December, and that sector representatives could submit their requests, opinions, and suggestions to the Ministry electronically.

Another item on the agenda was a presentation by Prof. Dr. Murat Çetinkaya, a faculty member at Ankara Hacı Bayram University, on the global and Turkish economies. The presentation addressed Türkiye’s fight against inflation, the economic effects of shrinking demand, and pressures on the production side. The presentation also shared data on the export performance of the furniture sector, stating that exports declined in 2024 and 2025 and that rising costs negatively affected the sector’s competitiveness. While evaluating the effects of exchange rate policies and the foreign exchange conversion rate applied to export revenues on the sector, opinions were shared on the sustainability of current practices.

The meeting also revisited the industry’s demand to increase the number of installments for furniture purchases. Emphasizing that furniture is a durable consumer product, consensus was reached on communicating the request to increase the number of installments to at least 18 months to the relevant Ministry.

Finally, assessments were made regarding the International Ä°stanbul Furniture Fair 2026. It was stated that the fair is of strategic importance for the sector, and it was emphasized that the organization should be supported more strongly.