Turkish furniture sector eyes Israeli market

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - The Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products' Exporters Association will hold a virtual trade board for Israel on Sept. 14-16.

Noting that the Israeli market is of crucial importance for the Turkish furniture sector, the president of the association, Ahmet Gulec, said: "In the furniture sector, Israel is one of the markets where we see a clear recovery following the pandemic."

Gulec underlined that furniture exports to Israel rose 10% year-on-year, hitting $85 million in the first seven months of this year despite a slowdown in March-May due to coronavirus.

"Upon the continuation of the recovery in June and July, Israel will be one of the important markets like the previous years for our furniture sector until the end of this year," he said.

Noting that the share of Israel in the Turkish furniture sector is growing, Gulec said the export volume is projected to reach $140-150 million this year, up from $125 in 2019, thanks to mobility in bilateral trade ties.

"We expect that our exports will be $250 million in a short time, and then to $400-450 million as to cover 10% of our total exports," he said.