Turkey Targets 35 Countries in E-Export Push
This matters because e-export is one of the few growth channels where small businesses can compete on equal footing with large corporations. A textile workshop in Bursa or a ceramics maker in Kütahya can now access German, Saudi, or American customers without a single middleman, as long as the logistics and payment infrastructure holds up. Turkey’s existing manufacturing base gives it a real structural advantage here.
The timing is deliberate. With the Turkish lira keeping export prices competitive for foreign buyers, and global e-commerce still expanding, Ankara is trying to lock in market share before the window narrows. The 35-country target signals a shift from opportunistic digital trade to a structured national export strategy — one that treats your laptop and a courier box as seriously as a container ship.
💬 Levent KAYIRA Commentary
Ekonomik Gündem Analysis: From my years watching Turkey’s trade flows at the desk, the most underappreciated export engine has always been the informal, small-scale seller. E-export policy is finally catching up to that reality. The 35-country target is significant — Turkey’s total merchandise export market already covers around 200 destinations, but e-export has historically been concentrated in 5-6 Western European markets. Diversification reduces currency and demand shock exposure.
The math is compelling for SMEs: traditional export requires minimum order volumes, letters of credit, and distribution agreements. E-export lowers that entry cost to near zero. If even 10% of Turkey’s 3.5 million registered SMEs activated a single cross-border digital sales channel, the aggregate revenue impact would be measurable in the current account figures within 18 months.
The real bottleneck is not ambition — it’s payment infrastructure and customs clearance speed. Until Turkish e-exporters can receive foreign currency payments without a 3-5 day settlement lag and navigate customs documentation digitally end-to-end, the 35-country target stays on paper. Watch whether the incentive package addresses these two pressure points specifically.
Kaynak: Google News Ekonomi