ISTANBUL

A four-day international kitchenware festival with an expected turnover of $1 billion will kick off in Istanbul on Thursday.

The International Zuchex Home and Kitchenwares Fair, organized by fair company Tarsus Turkey, is expected to be visited by 35,000 domestic and 6,000 foreign sector professionals between Sept. 16-19.

Foreign participants rose by 24% versus the previous fair, according to a press release issued by the Turkish Houseware Association (Zucder), which represents almost 90% of participant companies.

Turkey's kitchenware sector, including plastic, porcelain, ceramic, glass, electrical appliances, and decorative articles, is a net exporter with $3.5 billion export surplus annually.

Zucder head Mesut Oksuz said the sector achieved to reach 2019 figures in exports in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and added that it targets $5.5 billion this year.

Price per kilogram in Turkey's exports is around $1.4, while it is around $3.4 in the kitchenware sector, he stated.

Oksuz also reminded that the Turkish kitchenware sector makes exports to 200 countries.