0053-A1

A View on Wood-based Industry at Ege Region in Turkey.

Fevzi Bilgin (MSc.), M. Emin Akkaş (MSc.) ¹

Abstract

This study was carried out for determination of present situation on wood-based industry at Ege Region in Turkey, investigation of the relations between forest enterprises and also wood-based industry, identification of the structures of the enterprises and managers, problems of wood-based industry and expectations. In this article, some results and suggestions have been presented.

Introduction

Wood-based industry in Turkey has an important share in manufacture industry. Especially, sawn wood sub sector has rate of 81 percent of total annual capacity and 69 percent of total wood capacity. (3) Additionally for it is mainly located in rural areas, it has also a special importance for rural development. Due to renewable resource use it is also a model for sustainable development. Ege is a special region on this subject. So, we carried out a project on regional industry between years 1999 and 2001 and the results are given under the title "Present situation and development potential of wood-based industry in Ege Region".

Before giving details of the study it will be useful to have a general view on wood production and industry of Turkey.

Turkey's total forest area is 20.2 million hectares and total standing wood stock is 1.186 billion m ³ . Annual increment is about 34 million m ³ and also yield is 23 million cubic meter per year. An amount of 19.5 million m ³ of wood production is from state owned forests and 3.5 million m ³ from private plantations especially the poplar. (4-6) There is a need for round wood import about 1.5 million m ³ each year. The mainly imported countries Russia, Georgia, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Zaire. (7) The employment share of wood based industry is 2.18 person in total. The distribution of the sector in terms of sub sectors and regions is given in Table 1 . (2-5)

Material and Methods

Various written information sources were used for completion of this research. Other records, statistical data and documents provided by the related public and private organizations. After a detailed compilation it is given information about round wood and wood-based industry in the world and Turkey. Then the present information was updated for this region. Main material of the study is the field survey studying on wood-based enterprises

Data were collected from 1307 wood-based enterprises in Ege Region and also analysed according to Regional Directorates of Forest at İzmir, Muğla, Denizli and Balıkesir. Enterprises were separated three groups according to their number of employees such as small (1-9 workers), medium (10-24 workers) and big (over 25 workers). Besides, for the primary wood-based industry, questionnaires and field survey carried out in 180 enterprises. .

Result

Findings consist of two chapters. In the first chapter information from 1307 enterprises was complied and in the second chapter results of inquiry and survey made with 180 enterprises were studied.

According to the results, total rated annual capacity of 1307 enterprises is about 2.266.329 m ³ /year. They were operating with 64.6 % of the total capacity (1.463.900900 m3/year). Small enterprises are 95% of total. (Table II) Small enterprises are located mostly in Denizli and Muğla, big scaled enterprises in İzmir and Balıkesir Regional Directorates of Forest are distributed.

Distribution of annual capacity according to directorates are mostly 1-99 m ³ /year in Muğla and Balıkesir, 100-999 m ³ /year in Izmir and Denizli (Table III) and also average capacity usage in the same area is given in Table IV. Average employment is at about 4,5 workers. Mean round wood purchase distance is 121.5 km. Regional industry processes essentially wood of coniferous trees (76.9%). It is followed by poplar 17.4% and hardwoods (5.7%). Eighteen percent of the enterprises are principally processing imported round wood (1)

Enterprises are mostly family enterprises. Enterprise finance are provided with their own capital and credits (short-term external sources). They are working since 20.4 years in average. Managers have 10.2 years education. The enterprises working in primary wood-based branch were also active secondary manufacture (directed to intermediate manufacture or manufacture). Marketing activities are being conducted by means of owner and marketing employees. Main market is building sector. Sale prices are determined by costs and market conditions. (1)

Most important problems are shrinkage in demand and difficulties in money collection. They have informed also many problems experiences with forest enterprises. Among these problems, inefficiency of relations between state and industry, and topics concerning wood material provision has the first ranks. Difficulties in finance and uncertainties in the market are the most important obscures for future planning and activities. Most of them do not consider investment and technological upgrading in short term. They do not welcome for external partnerships. The enterprises that are directed inward are not able to effectively follow changes in EU ( European Union ) and World trade. They do not have detailed information on adaptation to EU and changing computational conditions. Enterprises are connecting present problems with external factors (uncertainty, country conditions etc.) They pointed out that already performed privatisation was necessary but for stopping monopoly an active control is needed. (1)

Conclusion

At the conclusion, some recommendations and aspects on the improvement of both private and public sector structures are given below;

• Wood based industry is a prominent model for sustainable development in Turkey and also for Ege Region especially. Its effect on employment and value adding is also quite important. Development of this situation should be supported. For this aim, an effective industrial committee structure should be organized. The committee should have autonomous structure that all parts have representatives and also the committee should have subunits in regional base. The tasks that the committee should perform are: coordination between sector and decision makers, determination of priorities, preparation and implementation of action plans, determination of sector problems, target and strategy development.
• Although there are various sector scales, family enterprises are prevalent. Improvement of family enterprises and increment of sector strength and productivity should be inspected under participatory principles, expertise should be maintained.
• Considering regional priorities and differences, works to conform with EU Legislation both structural and administrative should be completed.
• Sector oriented and regional based studies and research should have priority. Thus determining national based differences, information on the weak and/or strong sides of the sector will be obtained.
• State dominancy in Turkish forestry and management is pretty apparent. Private sector forestry and farm forestry are recently showing a developing tendency. So state should get initiative movements. Therefore, enterprises of the sector should be incited with various tools like support, training and organization. Although some certain legal arrangements already were done, efficacy to get the goals are not successfully accomplished yet.

As a result, Turkey that has chosen EU standards as target and also put it into the National Program, should keep both moving into direction of EU Forestry Policies. Therefore EU should also support these activities.

Bibliography

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Konukçu, M., 2001. ormanlar ve ormancılığımız "faydaları, istatistiki gerçekler, anayasa, kalkınma planları, hükümet programları ve yıllık programlarda" "Ormancılık" Dpt yayınları, yayın no:2630, Ankara.

T.C. Orman Bakanlığı., 2001. Türkiye için ulusal programın hazırlanması (Tcp/Tur/0066-a) "Türkiye'de orman kaynaklarının planlanması ve yönetimi (taslak), Ankara.

Appendix

• Table I. The distribution of the wood-based sector in terms of sub sectors and regions in Turkey. (%)
• Table II. Distribution of wood-based enterprises into the Regional Directorates of Forest in Ege Region.
• Table III. Distribution of wood-based enterprises regarding annual capacity in each Regional Directorates of Forest in Ege Region.
• Table IV. Distribution of wood-based enterprises with average of annual and actual capacities into Regional Directorates of Forest in Ege Region.

Tables

Table I, The distribution of the wood-based sector in terms of sub sectors and regions in Turkey. (%)

Table II. Distribution of wood-based enterprises into the Regional Directorates of Forest in Ege Region.

¹ PPersonel e-mail: [email protected], (Head of Social Forestry and Forest Economics Division)
[email protected] (Head of Planning and Statistics Division)

Contact Information:
T.C. Orman Bakanligi.
Ege Forestry Research Institute
Ege Ormancilik Arastirma Enstitüsü.
35315 Mkpasa Bulvari, No: 75, Zeytinalani,
Urla, Izmir- Turkey.
Tel: +90-232-766 34 96
Fax: +90-232-766 34 99

Officially e-mail: [email protected]
Officially Website: http://www.egeorman.gov.tr/eoae/index.html