President of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) Mahmut Asmalı said, “We are advancing rapidly towards becoming Europe’s global trade and production centre. There is enough bread and work for everyone. There is no need to lose our morale. The future of our country is very clear and bright.” Speaking to Yeni Şafak, Asmalı said that they would establish a MÜSİAD Trade Office to support investors.

Türkiye is the second fastest growing major economy in the world. It has managed to achieve this through private sector investments. President of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) Mahmut Asmalı, which has close to 13,000 members, said that they are hopeful about the future of the Turkish economy. Asmalı made important statements on the demands of producers and industrialists and on the targets for the new period.

LAND COSTS MORE THAN CONSTRUCTION

There is a shortage of space in the organized industrial zones. How has this situation been reflected on you?

All of our organized industrial zones are currently full. Because of the lack of space, the price of industrial land has risen to USD 700 per square metre. This is a very large figure. Wherever we go, whether they are our members or not, we talk with many of our industrialists. Industrialists expect more concrete steps on land allocation. The money the industrialist pays for the land, construction costs, machinery and equipment, raw materials — the expense items keep increasing. How is he to keep up with all of them? Of course we should not build industrial premises on arable agricultural land, but rocky, stony and scrubby areas that are not suitable for agriculture must be allocated to industrialists rapidly. The sensitivity shown regarding agricultural areas should apply even more to housing. Housing should not be built there either.

How do you see the future of Türkiye?

Türkiye is a very beautiful country. Infrastructure and superstructure investments have been completed. Even if not a single nail is driven into this country, we have infrastructure facilities that will carry us for 20 years. Therefore there is no need at all to lose our morale. The future of Türkiye is very clear and bright. We are advancing rapidly towards becoming Europe’s production centre. There is enough bread and work for everyone.

ANATOLIA PRODUCES AND INVESTS

What is the state of the investment and production movement in Anatolia?

When we go to Anatolia we call at our friends’ premises. In Türkiye, particularly in November and December of last year when the foreign exchange rate became volatile, an attempt was made to create a very chaotic environment. At the beginning of the year, when foreign exchange became stable especially with the currency-protected deposit scheme, we asked our members, ‘How will the year 2022 go?’ We requested data from all of our branches. We think that employment will be provided for 40,000 people in 30 different cities and 50 different locations by the end of the year with an investment cost of TRY 40 billion. We saw that our project has started in 50 different locations. Anatolia produces, invests and trusts in the future of the country. We saw that investments are being made in many fields, from chemicals to agriculture and from textiles to energy.

A SPECIAL CENTRE FOR FOREIGNERS

What is your most important agenda item? What are your future targets?

In the coming period we will accelerate our international structuring and our organizational structure. In MÜSİAD’s strategic action plan we had a project called the ‘Arab Investor Liaison Office’. We have expanded its scope a little

further. We are establishing a centre within MÜSİAD called the International Investment Coordination Centre. There are many business people who want to come to Türkiye and invest. Our flexible production capacity and our logistics infrastructure attract the interest of foreigners. Moreover, İstanbul Airport is at a very attractive and strategic point. We do not want these people to invest here with the wrong people in the wrong sectors and be disappointed. We have completed our work. We will introduce it at MÜSİAD EXPO. We are establishing the MÜSİAD Trade Office. We have 12,950 members. We have a very good pool of businessmen. We will bring them together, increase trade, and match investment opportunities abroad and in our country. We are establishing an investment office that will bring their capital together and provide the opportunity to invest in qualified projects.

Which subjects were discussed most when you came together with the Minister of Agriculture?

In the past weeks we came together with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci. At the meeting our friends who are engaged in agriculture and production conveyed their problems. We said that we attach great importance to contract farming. We asked that support be given to the product, not to the field. We made a proposal for agricultural lists. We said that agriculture should be evaluated in the category of strategic products. Türkiye must certainly produce the agricultural products it needs itself. Some of our friends requested that the name of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry be changed to the ‘Ministry of National Food, Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry’. We presented nearly 15 items on agriculture to our minister.

Could you give information about MÜSİAD EXPO?

EXPO is a very important event that MÜSİAD has been holding since 1993. This year we will organize the 19th edition. It will be held on 2-5 November, and we expect more than 100,000 business people and participants from 124 different countries at the fair, in which our members from 24 different sectors will take part. This year we organized very special purchasing delegations. Special purchasing delegations are coming from 50 countries such as Azerbaijan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan and Algeria.