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Turkiye: Exports in the toy industry have tripled in 5 years

While the exports of the toy industry in Turkiye tripled in 5 years, imports decreased by 32.5%.

According to the information compiled by the AA correspondent from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) data, the increase in Turkiye’s toy industry exports is noteworthy. Among the toys exported, there are many products such as tricycles, dolls, electric trains, toy musical instruments and puzzles.

Exports of the sector reached $76 million 193 thousand in the 10-month period of this year. When looked at on a country basis, the country with the most exports was the USA with $6 million 237 thousand, while the amount of toys imported from this country was recorded as $566 thousand.

Russia followed the USA with exports of $5 million 888 thousand. Russia was followed by Romania with $5 million 41 thousand, the United Kingdom with $4 million 417 thousand, and Greece with $3 million 779 thousand.

When looked at by toy types, $12 million 125 thousand were exported for other toys in sets or sets, and $4 million 433 thousand were exported for puzzles. Exports of $6 million 119 thousand were achieved in the wheeled toys group, which consists of tricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys for children and cars for dolls. The export of dolls was calculated as $2 million 180 thousand.

Imports made in the sector in the 10 months of the year amounted to $188 million 263 thousand. During this period, 65.3% of imports were toys purchased from China.

Sector’s exports have tripled in 5 years

Exports of $32 million 813 thousand were achieved in the toy industry in 2018. This figure increased to $38 million 252 thousand in 2019, $40 million 675 thousand in 2020, and $80 million 170 thousand in 2021. While $101 million 487 thousand of exports were made in the sector last year, exports exceeded 3 times compared to 2018.

When looking at Turkiye’s exports by country in the 2018-2022 period, the United Kingdom attracted attention. While the most toys were sold to the United Kingdom in the 4-year period except last year, the most toys were exported to Italy in 2022.

Imports in the toy industry amounted to $262 million 85 thousand in 2018. Imports, which decreased to $144 million 99 thousand in 2019, reached $126 million 933 thousand in 2020 and $155 million 366 thousand in 2021. In 2022, $176 million 868 thousand of imports were made. Imports in the sector decreased by 32.5% compared to 2018.

“The toy industry in Turkiye has a bright future”

Wholesale Toy Manufacturers Association Collective Workplace Building Cooperative (Toy-Koop) President Ender Micik told the AA correspondent that the world’s toy foreign trade volume is around $130 billion, and China provides approximately $65 billion of this.

Pointing out that Turkiye has significant advantages over China, Micik said, “Our most important advantages are that we can respond quickly to market demand due to its location, that production and freight times are short, and that our product quality is at European standards. If the support of the state increases, the toy industry has a very bright future.”

Stating that the products produced and exported in Turkiye are mostly based on plastic, Micik said:

“As it has gained momentum recently, there have been companies investing in molds in Turkiye. Some of the importing companies have turned to manufacturing. Unassembled, unboxed disassembled goods, which we call advanced processing, were imported from China and assembly lines were established here, which contributed to exports, but recently, costs have started to rise again for these assembled products due to some new regulations applying product safety. The recent export push of our industry has reduced imports and increased exports by increasing investments in our country. The preference of foreign companies, especially for Turkish products, stems from Turkiye’s European common market and customs agreements with more than 30 countries. It has made our country a center of attraction. With further processing, diversity increases and as the variety of products offered in the market increases, trust and preference for Turkiye also increases. When manufacturers with capacity reports import advanced processed products, the number of containers decreases to one third. This ensures that the foreign currency equivalent of the money used in manufacturing and production (boxes, parcels, freight, tape, screws, labor, etc.) remains in our country. While this prevents 30-40% of foreign exchange outflow in toy imports, it also contributes to employment.”

Approval awaited for toy OSB

Emphasizing that value-added production should be carried out in Turkiye, Micik demanded that the surveillance and tax applied to toy parts and spare parts be abolished.

Micik stated that Romania was one of the countries that attracted attention in toy exports this year, and explained that this was due to the investments made by a company in Romania. Micik stated that, as Toy – Koop, they are waiting for the approval letter from the Toy Organized Industrial Zone (OSB) in Pinarhisar, and that if the OIZ is established, the infrastructure that can produce for companies such as LEGO and Marvel can be created.

Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz

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