Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced at the opening ceremony held in Sinop that the number of organized industrial zones in Turkey has reached 368.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Fish Processing, Freezing, and Storage Facility in Sinop, which was implemented under the European Union-supported Competitive Sectors Program through the Northern Anatolia Development Agency, Minister Kacır announced the establishment of the Giresun Şebinkarahisar OSB and Gümüşhane Kelkit OSB. With these two new regions, the total number of OSBs across Turkey has risen to 368.

Kacır noted that the number of OSBs had increased from 191 in 2002 to 368 in 22 years, adding that the number of active production facilities had risen from 11,000 to 60,000 during this period. The number of people employed in OSBs also increased from 415,000 to 2.7 million during the same period.

Critical role in production, employment, and development processes

Minister Kacır emphasized that organized industrial zones play a critical role in production, employment, and development processes across Turkey. Noting that OSBs have become the driving force of development across Anatolia, Kacır said that they will continue to strengthen these structures in line with Turkey’s regional development goals.

Kacır noted that local development will gain momentum in the coming period and that all cities in Turkey will be included in this process, drawing attention to the increase in investment and production activities in regions cleared of terrorism.

The newly announced Giresun Şebinkarahisar and Gümüşhane Kelkit OSBs are also expected to make a significant contribution in this context. Investments such as the recently opened aquatic products facility serve as examples for enhancing regional production capacity.