With Turkey’s annual inflation rate reaching an all time high of 55%, representatives of the paper industry stated that packaging prices have increased by more than 100% compared to the previous year. Additionally, it is reported that the increasing costs are also having a bearing on the recycling sector.
Chairman of the Istanbul Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products Exporters’ Association Ahmet Güleç says, “Although good business has been achieved on the export side, production costs have increased significantly in the local market. Today, paper is used in many areas, from furniture to textiles, from consumer durables to packaging, and from the printing industry to merchandising. Turkey’s pulp imports alone have exceeded $1 billion. Total imports, including ready-made paper, amounted to $3.2 billion.”
“There are also problems in countries like Russia from where we import paper and cellulose. On the domestic front, we want our government to provide incentives to companies that produce paper. Turkey is blessed with a very rich forest cover. But there are no investors. All we need is for investors to come out and brave the odds to invest in the paper industry,” adds Güleç.
