Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In this meeting, to be held between 24-29 January 2023 and will be held simultaneously in two exhibition centers, the most important actors of world furniture will come together. TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the importance of the furniture sector in his speech here.Pointing out that the fair will bring together the important actors of the furniture sector with over 1,000 participants for 6 days, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We all know the importance of the furniture sector in our country's economy. We have nearly 40,000 producers in almost every region of Türkiye. In terms of product diversity and number of countries to which exports are made, our sector proudly represents our country in the world. In 2022, we reached an export figure of approximately 5 billion dollars. Last term, despite the pandemic, the furniture industry achieved success. I would like to express my gratitude to our companies and entrepreneurs, who are the architects of this great success and breakthrough. However, we shouldn't stop there. Our goal is to become one of the top 5 exporters in the world.  For this, we should be able to follow the developments in the world closely.”Referring to the importance of the US market in terms of achieving this goal, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Goods are sold to those who have money and are buying. The U.S. both buys and has money, and it's a $100 billion market. If we want to be among the top 5, it is not possible without entering the US market. For this purpose, we opened the Turkish Trade Center in the USA. It provides you with service in the USA in every subject.”

- E-commerce emphasis

Emphasizing the necessity and importance of e-commerce in his speech, the TOBB President said: “Look, the volume of e-commerce in the world is expected to exceed 5 trillion dollars by 2026. However, Türkiye's share of cross-border e-commerce is very low. Last year, our Minister of Trade Mr. Mehmet Muş published a program called New Generation Export Supports, which will be much needed by the sectors. This support program will give our cross-border e-commerce a breather at a time when access to finance is becoming so difficult.I find it useful for our furniture sector to examine this support program implemented by our Ministry and to focus on customers across borders. As TOBB, we carry out many studies to increase cross-border e-commerce. We develop projects for you with the leading marketplaces of our country and the world. Finally, we have created an e-export portal within the scope of the BiTıkİhracat program, which includes our Ministry. Our SMEs who benefit from this portal can receive one-to-one consultancy and mentoring services free of charge in many areas from customs clearance to billing, from tax to storage. In addition, we are preparing a guide help our entrepreneurs better understand cross-border e-commerce supports.In short, as TOBB, I want you to know that we will always support our sector moving forward as it we have in the past. I also congratulate the work of my Furniture Sector Council and Mr. President.”