Khalil Mabrouk - Istanbul
The textile factories and sewing workshops in Turkey are competing to produce the masks that protect against the "Corona" virus for export abroad, at a time when the country has turned into a kiss for businessmen and importers looking for this product from around the world.
During the past weeks, large numbers of "brokers" and small traders have been active in providing orders for export, in light of the high external demand, but this trade has returned to subject to market logic and direct deals between major exporters and importers.
One of the young Turkish men working in this field said that he worked hard as an intermediary to provide an order consisting of twenty million muzzle for export to China, while another friend of his worked to provide ten million muzzle for export to the Emirates.
According to the young man who spoke to Al-Jazeera Net correspondent in Istanbul, he was not working mainly in the field of marketing, but a friend of his father was residing in China and offered him this mission from which he gained more than two hundred thousand pounds (more than thirty thousand dollars) in a few days.
"Imagine that China, which used to export almost everything to the world, is importing masks? This provided an opportunity for many to make profits they were not waiting for," the young man said.
| Protective gasket orders occupy a lot of space in electronic markets today (Al-Jazeera) |
Accelerated growth
The pioneers of the Turkish textile industry provide amazing numbers about the growth of these industries, which they expect to continue to flourish, with the spread of the virus around the world, confirming that the prices of protective masks from the virus have multiplied by about fifty times since late last year before the disease appeared until today.
Abdul Bari Halegi, chairman of the company, "Atelem Saglik", which manufactures medical products, said that the mask, which contains fifty tablets, was sold at 3.5 pounds ($ 0.6) before the disease appeared, but it is now sold at 150 pounds ($ 25).
The Turkish businessman points out that the large factories that manage several production lines do not accept contracting quantities of less than a few million gags in one order, explaining that these only accept deals that cover the production of their factories over one month measured in tens of millions of pieces.
| Halegi stressed that the mass production of muzzles in Turkey does not satisfy the market if the Coruna virus (Al-Jazeera) continues. |
Supply and demand
Halegi explained to Al-Jazeera Net - which I visited in his company in Yeni Bosna district in Istanbul - that small producers whose production does not exceed fifty thousand pieces per day accept selling by about 120 to 130 liras per carton (about twenty dollars) because of the low demand for small quantities and its focus on senior Wholesalers importing from abroad.
He pointed out that this type of trade was what attracted the amateur marketers, who were buying and collecting quantities of masks from multiple sources to provide large orders for customers who brought in bags containing millions of dollars from outside the country.
Unlike tourists and visitors from different countries, seeing masks on people's faces is still rare in Turkey, and it is one of the few countries in the region where the official authorities have not yet announced the arrival of the disease.
Halligi asserts that gasket manufacturers sell their produce in an instant manner, and do not store any product in the country, so that they do not incur losses if the disease recedes before the stock is sold.
| "Atelem Saglik" Company for the manufacture of medical products exports millions of gags to China (the island) |
Several manufacturers and owners of textile factories have devoted their production lines to meet the high demand for these respirators, and have stopped work in the production of other textiles, given the huge revenue generated by the respirator trade, compared to others, which ranges between forty and fifty times.
Requests for masks and masks from viruses occupy a large space in e-stores, and give the first spaces in "Alish Fresh" applications for shopping in Turkey, and the mediators use social media to search for potential customers for muzzles.
Haligi asserts that the volume of mass production of muzzles in Turkey does not satisfy the market as long as the virus continues, given the nature of the functions of the masks, which users need to replace daily with new masks.
According to Halegi, the masks manufacturers follow the specifications and standards of the official Turkish "testing" institution, and that other manufacturers of operators are following the same specifications.
The Turkish daily "Daily Sabah" said in a report on its economic page that the spread of the Corona virus in China may push many international traders to go to import from Turkish markets, especially in the textiles, clothing and steel sectors.