Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said Saturday that the ministry aims to contribute to Türkiye's growth with value-added production.

"We will focus on the works that will pave the way, we will develop our country by producing," he said at the opening ceremony of the Industrial Design and Prototyping Center of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (IDEA4 Istanbul).

Varank was referring to the investment of approximately TL 20 billion allocated for "project-based incentives" that include the production of photovoltaic solar panels, hybrid cars, batteries, dishwasher capsules and maleic anhydride.

Elaborating on the details of the four big investments worth around TL 20 billion, Varank said Toyota will produce a rechargeable hybrid vehicle model in Türkiye with an investment of approximately TL 7 billion.

"Smart Energy will make a serious investment in the production of solar panels, starting with ingot. Türkiye is currently the world's fourth-largest solar panel manufacturer. We are number one in Europe," he said.

Varank also highlighted that maleic anhydrite was not produced in the country before, but investors from Tatarstan will now produce it in Türkiye.

He said that the buyer is ready and that "each kilogram of that product manufactured within the country will be used by our industrialists."

"Until now, the detergents we use in dishwashers were not produced in Türkiye. One of our companies saw the deficit here and will make a very serious investment in Adana (province) and start to produce dishwasher detergents in our country," he added.

Noting that there is great momentum in the industry in Türkiye, Varank said, "We are in the process of growing Türkiye with value-added production. Our goal, the program we have set is clear: investment, production, employment and export. We will focus on these areas."

Pointing out that the energy crisis and recession expectations are putting pressure on industrialists, Varank emphasized that they are also trying to alleviate that burden.

Türkiye is a country that knows how to grow by producing, Varank said, adding: "The European market is a serious market for us. Besides, the world market has started to recognize Türkiye. The Turkish industry will strive in the coming period."

The fixed investment amount of TL 7.6 billion is foreseen for the Smart Solar Energy Technologies R&D Inc. project in western Izmir province, which will create 2,335 additional jobs. At the end of the four-year investment period, the aim is to produce photovoltaic solar panels with a capacity of 2,048 megawatts per year.

The project will be provided a VAT exemption, customs duty exemption, employer's insurance premium share, qualified personnel and energy support, as well as an investment location allocation. Thus, starting from silicon ingot production, a significant capacity will be reached in the production of wafers, cells and photovoltaic solar panels in the country.

An investment will be made by Toyota Automotive Industry Türkiye in the modernization of a hybrid and rechargeable hybrid automobile and battery production facility in western Sakarya province. A fixed investment amount of TL 6.9 billion has been allocated to the project which is expected to create 57 jobs.

With this investment, it is expected to produce 162,000 hybrid and rechargeable hybrid cars and 44,000 batteries per year. Accordingly, Sakarya, which has an important place in Türkiye’s automotive production and exports, will increase its capacity in this field.

The investment will benefit from incentives such as VAT and customs tax exemptions.

Meanwhile, a fixed investment of TL 657.4 million will be made within the scope of the dishwasher capsule production facility. It will reach a capacity of 2.4 billion units per year.

Within the scope of the incentives, a VAT exemption, customs duty exemption, employer's share of insurance premium, qualified personnel and energy support will be provided to the project.

Strategic investment in the chemical industry by Maleik Petrokimya Inc. will make a fixed investment of TL 3.2 billion for the maleic anhydride production facility in western Kocaeli. At the end of the projected investment period of three years, an additional 88 employees are expected to be hired.

A VAT exemption, customs duty exemption, insurance premium employer's share, qualified personnel and energy support will be provided for the production of the aforementioned chemical industry product, which is used in various products and applications.

At the end of the investment period, the site will produce an estimated 50,000 tons of maleic anhydride per year.