To boost its textile exports to Turkey, Indonesia is working on an Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA) to avoid additional tariffs, according to DidiSumedi, the Indonesian director general of foreign trade.
Indonesia has the opportunity to boost the supply of raw materials like synthetic staple fibre, which, at $366 million, was the country's largest export to Ankara in 2019.
Turkey is the sixth-largest export destination for Indonesian textile products.Trade ministry data shows the total textile exports to Turkey reached $168.9 million from January to August this year.
Indonesia's textile exports to Turkey still face many barriers, despite it being one of the mainstays of the country's trade with Turkey, according to a report in a Turkish newspaper. Its value dropped 49.79 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Didi said the export value of Indonesian textile products to Turkey has decreased over the years. In 2018, the total textile exports reached $489.8 million, while in 2017, their value reached $537.1 million.
