Just as the world tries to recover from the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's reclosure has strengthened Turkey's position as an alternative supply base, sector officials say.
These developments are reflected in export traffic at Turkey's customs gates, where the density is higher than ever due to the record-breaking figures in foreign sales.
The war between the country’s two Black Sea neighbors has negatively impacted maritime transport and is now shifting some of the truck routes to the western border gates.
Noting the serious export traffic, especially at the western gates, the International Transporters Association's head of strategy and business development, Fatih Şener, said the Russia-Ukraine war negatively affects trade through the eastern gate, while at the western gates there is a serious density of trade "thanks to the European Union demand towards Turkey as an alternative to China."
The volume of exports at the customs gates in Turkey’s west has increased by nearly 30% compared to the same period of last year, according to the data by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).
For the northern trade routes, there is an opportunity as well.
Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan, the vice-chairperson of the Eastern Black Sea Exporters Union, said that the crisis from the Russia-Ukraine war has turned into an opportunity for the Black Sea.
Stating that Russian businesspeople are looking to use ports in the region, Gürdoğan said, "We have started work to restart ro-ro and passenger ships between the Trabzon-Sochi port or Adler port, which was in use until 2008."
He noted that this is an opportunity for the northern city of Trabzon on the country’s Black Sea coast.
Meanwhile, many of the exporters share similar thoughts on the peaceful reputation Turkey acquired during this period.
Highlighting the positive feedback they received from all over the world about Turkey, which plays a mediating role between Kyiv and Moscow and has contributed to the softening of the negotiations between the parties with dialogue, the exporters said: "The people of both sides and the business world do not want war."
"They want their own business and life routines to continue. They can achieve their goals through Turkey now, and Turkey's calls (for peace) give hope to them as well."
Record-breaking exports
On the traffic at customs gates, Çetin Tecdelioğlu, a member of the board of the Istanbul Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters' Association and chairperson of the Hardware Manufacturers and Businessmen's Association (HISIAD), said this is because of the opportunity that Turkey has seized.
"The closure of China again due to the pandemic is effective in this. These developments have created new opportunities for Turkey. Demands continue to come to Turkey. We think that the intensity will continue to increase in the rest of the year," he said.
Gökhan Turhan, chairperson of the ARMATUR Association, meanwhile, said the trucks that do not want to use the warzone cross to the Caucasus via Turkey.
"However, one of the main reasons for the density experienced at the border gates is our increased export figures. Our exports were announced as $22.7 billion (TL 332.44 billion) last month with an increase of 19.8% compared to March of last year. This figure is the highest March export figure of all time. Increasing capacity use, the export-oriented work of our industrialists caused more intensity than planned at our border gates. With the increasing foreign trade volume, the need for the opening of new border gates continues," Turhan said.
European and Russian suppliers, who have started to map out long-term supply structures in case the war turns into a cold war, are now trying to either purchase goods from each other through Turkey or produce them in Turkey.
Some Russian suppliers, who recently came to an understanding with one of Turkey's leading dried food companies, have reached an agreement that the new facility in the Aegean region will produce only for them.