Alarm Bells Are Ringing in Istanbul's Textile Industry: 'It Used to Be a Privilege, Now Nobody Wants to Say They're a Textile worker.'

Cumhuriyet

Lean Left

Factuality

Ownership

In Turkey, rising production costs, a suppressed exchange rate, and international competition over the last 15 years have pushed the textile sector into a crisis. Speaking to Cumhuriyet TV, textile shop owners in Merter, Istanbul, described how sales have halved, many businesses have closed, and sector workers have turned to other jobs. The shop owners stated that Turkish producers have lost their competitive edge against Egypt and China and req…