"With a Historic Deficit of $315 Million, Our Industry Is at a Standstill: Either Take Action or Face Extinction!"

AYSAD Board Chairman Sait Salıcı revealed that uncontrolled imports and rising costs are dragging the sector towards disaster. Following over one thousand closures in textiles and ready-made garments, a critical roadmap was presented for the Footwear Components Industry.

Sait Salıcı, Board Chairman of the Footwear Components Manufacturers Association (AYSAD), shared alarm data for the first half of 2025 and an urgent action plan for 2026-2027 at a press lunch held ahead of the 73rd International Footwear Components Fair (AYSAF), which will take place between 12-15 November 2025. Chairman Salıcı noted that in a period when more than 3,000 companies closed in the textile and ready-made garment sectors in just the first half of the year and tens of thousands lost their jobs, the footwear sector faces a similar, even more critical threat. He stated: "Our sector has entered an 'existential' period due to uncontrolled imports and excessive costs."

The first-half 2025 data released by AYSAD laid bare the severity of the situation. Turkey's footwear sector achieved USD 489.2 million in exports in the first half of the year, yet recorded USD 804.3 million in imports, reaching its highest level in history and creating a massive USD 315 million trade deficit. Chairman Salıcı said: "While Turkey's footwear sector had long been a category generating trade surpluses, the needle has completely reversed as imports spiralled out of control. This enormous USD 315 million deficit is the most striking indicator of how our sector is being squeezed under intense import pressure from Far Eastern countries, particularly China (USD 262.9 million) and Vietnam (USD 225.4 million)."

Elaborating on the short and medium-term action plan developed in response to this critical situation, Salıcı noted that the plan focuses on four main elements. First, he emphasized the need to create a roadmap to close the USD 315 million deficit by immediately implementing investment and incentive models that would create import substitution in the Footwear Components Industry, particularly stimulating domestic production in high-import segments such as sports shoes. Second, within the scope of the Plan to Increase the Competitive Strength of the Components Industry Against Import Pressure, he stated that the effectiveness of existing customs duties must be enhanced, false declarations of origin and informal import channels must be definitively closed, and efforts to combat unfair competition must be strengthened.

Third, he drew attention to the current period being one of consolidation and sharing, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with civil society organizations in similar sectors; he stressed that the sector can only emerge from this crisis through collective wisdom and solidarity.

Finally, addressing how the AYSAF Fair to be held at Istanbul Fair Centre on 12-15 November will serve as a "bridge to salvation" in this crisis environment, Salıcı noted that the fair is tasked with bringing global buyers together with domestic manufacturers to maximize exports and thereby activate the potential to close the trade deficit.

AYSAD Board Chairman Sait Salıcı concluded his remarks by stating: "The footwear sector is an established industry of our country. The coming months will be a turning point for our sector. Either we will overcome this crisis by taking strong measures with the support of our government, or we will face irreversible losses in production and employment. We will demonstrate the necessary resolve at AYSAF to produce and export."