Tufan ÜNAL
Board Chairman
ÇEİS / CEMENT INDUSTRY EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION
The cement sector is one of the leading sectors of the Turkish economy. Due to periodical factors, it shows a fluctuating trend like all other sectors do when it comes to growth rates, however, it is generally a little bit above the financial growth rates.
There is a high correlation between the cement and construction sectors. With the help of deferred housing demand and urban transformation projects, the construction sector witnessed to a significant dynamism in 2016. In addition to housing demand and urban transformation, huge projects such as the Third Airport, the Eurasia Tunnel, and İzmit Bay Passage significantly contributed to the demand for cement. The interaction between the cement and construction sectors also helped the cement sales increase in 2016. In the light of all of these developments, I think the cement sector will close 2016 with a growth rate of 4% percent.
About 7 million residential buildings are planned to be reconstructed by 2023 within urban transformation efforts. It is expected that about 130-140 million metric tons of cement will be used for these projects. In addition to the construction investments in Georgia, it is anticipated that Turkish exports to Israel will also continue in the next five years. Furthermore, the possibility of an increase in the volume of the products that are being sold to the U.S. and Africa also serves as an important potential for the Turkish cement sector. Thus, despite the extreme decrease in export prices, I believe that the cement sector will maintain its dynamism in both domestic and foreign markets in the upcoming period.
Finally, among the important issues of the present day are concrete roads and barriers. It is thought that concrete roads are more economical than asphalt roads considering their first construction and maintenance costs. Concrete roads are also more durable, eco- friendly, and longer-lasting. In addition, they are entirely based on domestic raw materials. In the upcoming period, considering concrete roads as an important alternative to asphalt roads based on their environmental and economic effects would be a strong step towards the development of our national economy. To this end, I would like to say that the publishing of the Concrete Road Specification by the General Directorate of Highways was a very important development.
I have full faith and confidence in the fact that the cement sector, which has been serving in our country for over 100 years, will continue to increasingly contribute to the national economy in accordance with the 2023 goals in particular.
