Turkish companies producing protective masks and medical gloves will no longer have to acquire preliminary authorization to export abroad, according to a recent decision.
The related notice on the Trade Ministry’s communique on goods whose exports were either prohibited or subjected to pre-permits was published on the Official Gazette Friday.
This eliminated the need for obtaining pre-approval for the export of protective masks (gas, dust and nuclear fallout masks) sold under the scope of personal protective equipment regulation and medical sterile/non-sterile gloves supplied to the market under the Medical Device Regulation.
Protective mask and glove products, which were included in the list of goods subject to prior authorization last year as part of the COVID-19 measures were thus removed from this list.
Last year, there was a huge increase in the sale of products commonly used against the spread of the virus, namely the protective masks, disinfections and Turkey's traditional cologne, a powerful disinfectant used by many to ward off the threat of coronavirus.
The N95 masks and other kinds of protective masks which were previously used only by health workers or by particular occupational groups become a part of everyday life since the beginning of the outbreak.
According to the 2020 Annual Industry Products Statistics by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), some 56.5 million masks were sold in 2019 which reached 8.14 billion in last year, with an around 144 times jump.
Cologne sales increased from 36.83 million liters to 103.9 million liters. The sales of cologne have increased nearly two times.
Sales of cleaning materials such as soap and wet wipes increased from 302.34 million kilograms to 445.81 million kilograms.
While 31.89 million kilograms of substances were sold for disinfectant, this amount reached 119.15 million kilograms in 2020. The sales of these substances increased approximately three times.
Non-woven fabric sales, used in protective gear, increased from 500.91 million kilograms to 783.15 million kilograms, the data also showed.
Meanwhile, some TL 4.33 billion worth of medical drugs were produced in 2019. This figure increased to TL 4.64 billion last year.