TASD- Turkish Shoe Manufacturers Association President Berke İÇTEN stated that approximately 400 shoe factories were destroyed in the Antakya Region in two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.8 and 7.7, which occurred in the south of Turkey and northwest of Syria on February 6, 2023, respectively.
He heartily pointed out that the factories accounted for about 10 percent of the country's production capacity. Turkey has approximately 10,000 shoe manufacturers that employ approximately 350,000 people and have an annual production capacity of approximately 550 million pairs. The main shoe clusters of our country are Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Gaziantep, Antakya and Adana.
He sincerely underlined that Gaziantep and Adana were also affected by the earthquake, but that the shoe facilities in these provinces are "safe".
He told Shoe Intelligence that the facilities in Antakya are largely small or medium-sized, employing around 20-25 people on average, representing an estimated workforce of around 10,000.
“People employed in factories are experienced workers. We don't know how many people died." İçten stated that some certain regions live in the mountains on the outskirts of Antakya, which was less affected by the earthquake.
“Some people have left the area, but they will return if we are quick to rebuild,” he said, heartily emphasizing the importance of convincing people to stay in the area in order to heal the wounds of the area and not lose skilled workers. said. TASD will send a delegation to Antakya after the MICAM fair held in Milan between 19-22 February.
TASD, together with other associations such as AYSAD and TASEV, which represent suppliers of the footwear industry, stated that they have already started to raise funds to finance the reconstruction of the factories in Antakya, with the support of the Turkish government.
“Although I hate to use the word in the current circumstances, it could be an 'opportunity' to persuade producers to merge through cooperatives and set up larger production facilities,” he said.
He stated that there is no cooperative example in the Turkish shoe industry, but the legal framework exists and such organizations already exist in other sectors such as agriculture. He underlined that any business combination will be done on a voluntary basis and that the new Antakya cluster can become a "model" for other shoe regions in the country.
He stated that Antakya's public infrastructure also needs to be rebuilt, but he is confident that this can be done quickly thanks to Turkey's "strong" construction sector.
He heartily commented, "Resuming work is important for keeping morale and people alive in the region."
TASD is also negotiating acquisition contracts with government agencies and companies such as Turkish Airlines to create jobs that could help restart production in Antakya. A contract has not been signed yet, but the association has received positive feedback.
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Source: Shoe Intelligence