Eastern Anatolia is the largest
geographical region of Turkey
and comprises 21% of the
country’s area. It has borders
with Georgia, Armenia, the Nahchivan
Autonomous Region, Iran and Iraq.
In Eastern Anatolia the Pontus and
Taurus Mountains converge, creating
a rugged area with higher elevations,
a more severe climate and greater
precipitation than on the Anatolian
plateau. The average elevation of the
peaks is around 3,000 meters. Mount
Ararat, with an altitude of 5317 m., is
known from the legend of Noah’s Ark
and is located in the area.
Eastern Anatolia is the richest region in
terms of water resources in Turkey and
possesses 33%of Turkey’s total water
potential. Major rivers flowing through
the area include the Fırat (Euphrates),
Dicle (Tigris), Aras and Çoruh.
The main source of income in the
region is from agriculture and animal
husbandry. Food processing, metal
processing, plastic processing, wood
proceessing and furniture, textile
and building materials are among
developing industries in the region.
Cereal production is limited to wheat
and barley in the region. Rice is grown on
a limited scale as well. Beans are grown
in irrigated lands and chickpeas and
lentils are grown under dry conditions
in the region. Industrial crops such
as sugar beets, potatoes, sunflowers,
tobacco and cotton are produced as
well. Fruits such as apricots, cherries, sour cherries, almonds, strawberries, and summer vegetables such as
cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants are grown in the agro-ecologically suitable areas of the Eastern Anatolia.

Traditional handicrafts such as handmade carpets and kilims, silver ware, hand beaten copper giftware, handmade
textiles, folkloric dolls are all exquisite examples of deep-rooted Turkish culture.
There are one or more organised industry zones in each province of the Eastern Anatolia Region. Recently, Ata
Technopark, the first technopark in the region, was established in Erzurum with the collaboration of Erzurum
Atatürk University and the private sector. The second, Fırat Technopark, will be in Fırat University in Elazığ, and
managed by Fırat University and the private sector.
Three Border Trade Centres at Ağrı-Sarısu, Van-Kapıköy and Hakkari-Esendere, have been established
following a Decree announced in 2003.The aim of establishing these centres is to promote foreign trade with
neighbouring countries and so improve the welfare of the region. Trade through these centres is exempt from customs’
regulations. They are operated by joint stock companies which are established with the participation of the provincial
special administration, industry and trade chambers, and exporters’ unions of the related province.

All the provinces of Eastern Anatolia benefit from all investment incentives, as well as the latest incentives
within the context of the “Law on Encouragement of Investments and Employment and Amendment of
Certain Laws” (No. 5084, dated January 29, 2004) issued by the Ministry of Finance. The above mentioned law
covers energy support, free land, and tax and insurance premium supports. About 700 investment certificates were
given to Eastern Anatolia Region by the government between 2002 – 2006.
In addition to its large area, Eastern Anatolia has important potential with its young population. The government
has opened four new universities in Ağrı, Bitlis, Bingöl and Muş, in addition to the five existing universities in
the region (Atatürk University – Erzurum, İnönü University-Malatya, Fırat University-Elazığ, Kafkas University
–Kars, Erzincan University -Erzincan)

The machinery manufacturing business will see a significant jump over the next five years, with its eyes set on dethroning the current leader — the automotive industry — the Central Anatolian Machinery and Accessories Exporters’ Union (OAMAİB) Chairman Adnan Dalgakıran said.

Dalgakıran was sharing his opinions on current conditions and developments in the machinery business with the Anatolia news agency. There is no new production of technology in Turkey; instead, Turkish industrialists are importing technology from developed nations, he noted, adding that the machinery industry will soon become the actor undertaking the task of generating technology in the country.
In 2007 the machinery field achieved $9 billion in exports, a 37 percent increase over the previous year. In the same year, machinery imports increased by only 19 percent, “That means we are gradually bridging the gap between the imports and exports,” Dalgakıran commented.

He said the industry has so far made a bright entry into 2008, estimating that this year exports would show a surge of between 20 and 40 percent. But the growth will largely depend on external demand, as contraction in the domestic market will continue, he predicted.

Developed nations count the machinery industry as among their major businesses and use considerable financial resources to support it, Dalgakıran said, adding: “This is exactly what the problem is in Turkey. Turkish industrialists prefer imported machinery, not because of their quality but because of the five to seven years of payment installments foreign machinery producers make available to their customers.” If the support problems are solved, the industry could easily reach $50 billion in annual exports, Dalgakıran believes.

Another problem, he noted, is the fragmented structure of the machinery industry itself. There are too many firms operating in the market, and their sizes are extremely small relative to their competitors in the world, he said. He estimated that there would be a serious wave of consolidation, mergers and acquisitions within the industry since the companies have to reach to a certain size in order to survive the ever-toughening competition. “They will either merge to form larger companies or will transform affiliated industries, or they will wither away from the competition. This is what happened elsewhere before, and the same will be experienced here in Turkey as well,” Dalgakıran noted.

Source:Today’s Zaman