Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The “Stars of Sakarya” award ceremony, organized by the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held with the attendances of The President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Sakarya Mayor Mustafa Büyük, Turkey Agriculture Chambers Union President Şemsi Bayraktar and many guests.

In his speech, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu assessed the production of domestic vehicles and Sakarya’s place in industrialization.

Reporting that Sakarya has important advantages when it comes to industrialization, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Sakarya’s greatest advantage in the coming term, in conjunction with the construction of the third bridge, is that it will have the opportunity to become a very significant logistics base. Logistics base means that all goods will be gathered there, whether it is for distribution within Turkey or to the world. We should be distributing the goods we collect from Bursa, Kocaeli, Eskişehir, Ankara and Bolu from here.”

Touching on the subject of the railroad construction in the Karasu County, TOBB President stated that along with the port it would become a commerce center. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “There are extraordinary advantages. It will not only be a distribution point for Turkey, it will be a center for the distribution of all goods from the Middle East, Caucasia and even the revived Silk Road.”

- “The domestic car should be built in Sakarya”

Stating that Prime Minister Erdoğan’s request for the production of a domestic car is a very apt decision, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “Our Prime Minister has said that we should build a domestic car. This is a move in the right direction. The center in which the domestic car should be built in is Sakarya. I’m not saying this because Sakarya might like hearing it. I’ve personally witnessed the CSO tell our President of the Republic, ‘We produce all over the world. However the production errors for the Toyotas built in Turkey are zero. Our most efficient factory is Turk Toyota. This is why the factory director is a Turk. His deputy is a Turk. The workers are Turks.’

I congratulate the Toyota management and employees. They are a source of pride for us. Toyota is writing a success story here. So is Otokar. Otoyol and TIRSAN are here. There are qualified workers. There is know-how. Sakarya needs to set itself a goal. Just like Detroit comes to mind when you talk about a car production center in the USA, so should we come to think of Sakarya in the same way. You should work towards this goal.”

- “Outside factors are trying to pull Turkey down”

Stating that whenever Turkey nears its goals, it gets pulled back and down, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that this time they would not give anybody that opportunity. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We are wise to their games. We will not give them the chance to pull us back again. It is not only I that feels this way. All chamber and exchange presidents to the east of me, to the southeast of me feel the same. So do the ones to the west. Today is the day. We must show a unified front to prevent terror and bloodshed between brothers from holding us back again. Our artisans and our workers share the idea. We will act in unison and show the world how we stand united against terror. You will see.”

- “Agriculture and livestock potential must be realized”

Stating that Turkey needs to fully realize its agriculture and livestock potential, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We are the world’s 9th country in terms of arable land. While we should be feeding the world, we are not using our potential. Today Holland, equivalent in size to Konya, exports 52 billion dollars’ worth of agriculture and livestock goods while Turkey exports 12 billion dollars’ worth. This shows a gross waste. Don’t wait for a solution from Ankara; we must utilize this potential to its fullest on a local basis.”

- “We must increase the number of entrepreneurs”

Stating that they prioritize women and young entrepreneurs, Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed that in order for the economy to prosper, women and young entrepreneurs need to be supported.

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the need for increasing entrepreneur numbers in Turkey, “Turkey’s population is 72 million with an active entrepreneur count of 1.396 million. Japan’s population is 120 million with an entrepreneur count of 6.6 million. To catch up with Japan’s entrepreneur numbers we must quadruple the number of our entrepreneurs. Every year 700 thousand young people join the workforce. We must find employment for 700 thousand young people every year. Ten years from now, that number will be a million. There is but one way to find employment for them. The number of entrepreneurs in Turkey must be increased. One of the potentials we must tap is the women. The number of women entrepreneurs in Turkey is just 6% while half the population are women. If we want to prosper we must support women entrepreneurs.”

- “Sakaryaspor is a footballer factory”

At the end of the award ceremony, Cheerleader Ersin presented TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, TZOB President Şemsi Bayraktar and Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mahmut Kösemusul with jerseys with their names on them. TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu thanked Cheerleader Ersin and said, “Sakaryaspor is a club like a factory that trains footballers in Turkey.”

- Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TSO) President Kösemusul

The Sakarya TSO Board of Directors President Mahmut Kösemusul, stating that Sakarya hosts agriculture, industry and commerce, said “We have agriculture, we now have industry as well and the future looks bright for tourism.”

Providing information about Sakarya, Kösemusul said, “When we want to see how Sakarya compares with Turkey’s 8.8% growth we observe capacity usage reports which shows us that rates which regressed to 51% in 2009 have as of June climbed back up to 76.8%. I firmly believe that we will reach 80% by the end of the year. As our TOBB President Mr. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu frequently states, Turkey is in a state of transformation. We must work together, grow together and be strong together.

I would like to direct your attention to the increase of SATSO member numbers according to the data regarding Sakarya. The member increase rate of 18.36% has been preserved this year. As of today, there is a 15% increase. While we had 1068 new members last year, the number of new members for the first 9 months this year is 994.”

- “Entrepreneurs and encouragement”

Emphasizing that they have provided training and enabled many to become business owners through the “Don’t look for employment, create it” project, Mahmut Kösemusul said, “Like Mr. Hisarcıklıoğlu we put great importance on our entrepreneurs as SATSO. The new business ideas competition as suggested by the Young Entrepreneurs Council held among BRAND provinces increases the number of entrepreneurs as well as encouraging young inventors. The winner of the competition will receive a 25,000 TL reward and plenty of support. I would like to congratulate President Tolga Balık. The work being done by our women entrepreneurs’ council is also deserving of much praise.”

- “UMEM establishments’ employment has increased”

Touching on the subject of the UMEM Employment Project initiated on the suggestion of TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, Kösemusul said, “There are no other projects like this that alleviate the burden of the employer by 20% and which creates jobs for the employed. As Sakarya we have worked diligently on it are one of the three most successful provinces to implement it and are competing for first position. We have promised our TOBB President a thousand trainees per year and 3,750 in the first five years. However even before the first year is over, we have reached 1,470 trainees. We will exceed 2,000 by the end of the year. We have provided a significant avenue of employment for our young. We have also initiated research regarding employment.”

- “Sakarya should be the livestock center of the region”

Stating that under the leadership of SATSO, they have come together to lease Sakarya Joint Enterprise Agriculture Establishments Inc. TİGEM land, Kösemusul said, “After the cancellation of the first bid we’ve established new enterprises before the second bid. We are following the issue closely.”
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