History: 06.01.2025
The Turkish jewelery industry drew attention to the increasing gold smuggling due to the quota. Stating that the illegal entry is three times the official import, industry representatives said, "He who wears a necklace around his neck enters the country."
Recep ERÇİN
The Turkish jewelery industry met at the "Turkish Jewelery" event held in Antalya. On the agenda of Jewelery Exporters Association (MIB) Deputy Chairman Ayhan Güner and MIB Board Members was gold smuggling by those who want to benefit from the increasing prices in the country due to the gold quota.
According to the exporters' claim, if 8 tons of gold is imported monthly, at least 3 times this amount of smuggled gold enters the country. “She wears the necklace around her neck. "It comes from Bulgaria and sells here," said the exporters, adding that they lost customers because of the gold quota.
While the producer goes bankrupt, the middleman wins.
Stating that half of the workshops in Kuyumcukent have been closed, MİB Deputy Chairman Ayhan Güner said, “There are 1500-2000 workshops. Little ones can't reach the gold.
Brokerage firms earn an additional $30 million per month due to the gold difference. If this does not change, half of Kuyumcukent is bankrupt. Large-scale ones survive, but small ones cannot.
The gold difference does not matter in the domestic market. The buyer does not feel this. An important company went to Mexico the other day. From where? He went to apologize for not being able to fulfill the 68 kilo export order due to the price difference. He produces 1 kilo of labor for 6 thousand dollars. There is a difference of 4 thousand dollars. Will he sell it for 10 thousand dollars? We had the Italians under our control. We imported 5 billion dollars from Italy. "Before the quota, it was 350 million dollars," he said.
Gulf customers fled
Ayhan Güner stated that the production had increased in Kuyumcukent's shopping mall when Arab wholesalers came here and placed orders, but Gulf customers withdrew because of the quota, and said, "They became unable to work due to the gold price difference. These countries fled. Workshops are closed. They came from Dubai. Now they're back. We established the system 8-10 years ago to bring these.
They go to Uzbekistan, Dubai, Egypt. After a few years, we will feel the goal we conceded. Essentially, the knowhow we have is going away. When a customer goes to a jewelery store, they don't come back for more than 4 years. "Employment has fallen by at least 40 percent," he said. While Güner stated that his own exports were almost zero, another MIB Board Member said, “If there is a problem, let them check it. I employ 150 men. All registered. "There is a serious loss in employment," he said.
“There is nothing like this in the world”
Stating that "it is almost a closed foreign exchange regime in jewelery", MIB Board Members explained the following: "We also told MASAK. When a customer comes from abroad, they are told to go to the consulate and get a document proving that they are a company. MASAK says; If the customer came and did not provide his identity card, you will complain to us; For purchases of 180 thousand TL and above, that is the price of two bracelets. Previously 75 thousand was increased to 180. It asks for notification after 180.
Identity card, address. If we report all this to MASAK, the system would be locked anyway. There is nothing like this in the world. The invoice is being issued. They want the partnership structure of the company. It takes 6 months to get an appointment from the company you shop from abroad, how can we ask for a partnership structure document... This was useful for those who sell inside. In eight months, 3-5 companies stopped paying attention to money. "It makes the same turnover as this amount of exports in an hour."
“Textile makers can bring gold, jewelers cannot.”
“We are not demanding anything anymore. MIB Vice President Ayhan Güner, who gave the message "We want to return to factory settings", said: "We were the world leader in production and we had established a very good system. 40 percent of the system goes abroad. We have made 100 requests so far and only one has been accepted. Textile manufacturers can bring gold in return for export price; jewelers cannot bring it. Uzbekistan has closed imports from us. A few of our companies also moved there. "While everyone is producing with incentives, we say we do not need this sector," he shared his views.
Stating that South Americans participated less in the fair in Antalya due to the difference in gold due to the quota, Güner said, “There are more than 500 participating companies and nearly a thousand participants here. While those coming from Russia, Turkish Republics, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America are dominant," an exporter who spoke during the conversation said, "We withdrew from the fair in the USA. "Because I made a loss from the orders I received," he said.
The jewelery industry wants its President back
Members of the Board of Directors of the Jewelery Exporters' Association (MIB) said, "We demand our president from Ankara." Members of the Board of Directors of MIB, with whom we chatted at the fair held in Antalya, said, “As a sector, we have no demands from Ankara. We want our President (Burak Yakin).
Burak Mayor is asked to send money to his account in 2021 and gold in return. They ask Burak Mayor, can you send this gold to my office? It is received and signed. There is a delivery receipt. There is a signature. Now he says I didn't receive it.
The boss of a company under MASAK control is accused of such a thing. We are talking about a total of 8.2 million TL. He is being arrested for a complaint regarding this. The man sells tons of gold. “We think that the accusations do not warrant arrest,” they said. MIB President Burak Yakin was first detained and then arrested as part of an operation last week. Yakin's lawyers objected to the decision.
Source : Dünya Gazetesi