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Türkiye Woodworkers Craftsmen and Artisans Federation (TAIF) Chairman Huseyin Taklaci said the furniture sector continues to be one of Türkiye’s locomotive industries despite global economic fluctuations.
Taklaci, who also serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Elmadag Furniture Specialized Organized Industrial Zone (OSB), spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) about the sector’s 2025 export performance and targets for this year.
He said the sector has been reaping the benefits of the industrialization drive of the past two decades, noting that the number of businesses exceeded 40,000 and employment surpassed 420,000 people alongside the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Highlighting that the sector closed last year with more than $8 billion in exports, Taklaci said:
“The exports of furniture, paper and forestry products reached $8.4 billion in 2025, while we consolidated our position as the world’s seventh-largest furniture exporter. Net furniture exports alone amounted to $4.6 billion. Despite global economic fluctuations, the furniture sector continues to be one of Türkiye’s locomotive industries.”
Taklaci also pointed to rising added value in exports, saying the average export value per kilogram in furniture exports increased to $3.10.
He added that the figure reached between $12 and $15 in provinces such as Ankara and Adana, which are known for craftsmanship and boutique design production.
Taklaci said Istanbul maintained its lead among exporting provinces last year with $3.5 billion in exports.
It was followed by Bursa’s Inegol district with $910 million, Izmir with $820 million, Kayseri with $600 million and Gaziantep with $590 million.
He said one of the most significant developments in 2025 was growth in Gulf markets, noting that Saudi Arabia emerged as one of the sector’s strategic markets with annual growth exceeding 200%.
Taklaci said Iraq remained the leading export destination.
“Iraq was followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, the U.S., Libya and France. In 2025, we increased the number of countries to which we exported more than $1 million annually to 150,” he said.
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Taklaci said imports totaled $1.1 billion last year, mainly consisting of smart furniture components and advanced lighting technologies.
He said expanding domestic production capacity would be a priority this year.
“We aim to increase our domestic production rate from 88% to 99% by expanding local production in lighting, hardware mechanisms and chemicals. We project average annual growth of 10% until 2030. We aim to increase our economic size from the current $9 billion level to $10 billion,” he said.
Taklaci added that under the 12th Development Plan covering 2024-2028, the sector would focus on green transformation, sustainability, environmentally friendly production and digital infrastructure.
He said the sector aims to increase the share of e-commerce to 25% this year through augmented reality-supported sales methods and expand its share in the European market through a high-design strategy.
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