From June 24 to 28, a delegation of Italian textile machinery manufacturers, spearheaded by ACIMIT and the Italian Trade Agency, will embark on a crucial institutional mission to Turkmenistan. With a series of slated meetings in Ashgabat, the delegation aims to leverage the burgeoning opportunities within Turkmenistan's textile industry.

Turkmenistan, with cotton as its third-largest export, is poised for a robust textile sector expansion. Local authorities are keen on transforming the abundant raw material into finished products, signaling substantial investment prospects in modern machinery and technologies. The demand for textile machinery is on a swift rise to facilitate this developmental surge.

ACIMIT's data underscores Turkmenistan's increasing reliance on textile machinery imports, with a notable 7.3 per cent annual growth rate observed between 2009 and 2023. Projections extend this trend, foreseeing a 5.5 per cent annual uptick from 2024 to 2027.

Marco Salvade, President of ACIMIT, stresses the imperative for technological advancement to compete globally in the textile arena. The institutional mission aims to foster collaborative avenues between Italian expertise and Turkmenistan's textile aspirations.

Significantly, Italian exports to Turkmenistan surged from 600,000 euros in 2022 to approximately 13 million euros in 2023, highlighting the growing demand for Italian textile machinery.

Salvade emphasizes the mission's dual focus on showcasing technological prowess and forging partnerships with influential local institutions, pivotal in shaping supply chain strategies.