Not possible without a 'Ministry of Investment!'
Dr. Mehmet Şeker, SASA Polyester Board Member, said that a rise in the Turkish economy can be achieved with a 'Ministry of Investment.' Stating that a Chinese competitor is able to start production 24 months after deciding to invest in petrochemicals, Şeker said, “There is almost no public institution that I have not made an application to in five years. I still have not started production. The only addressee of investors should be the Ministry of Investment."
SASA Polyester Board Member Mehmet Şeker, who appeared as the guest of the 'Çukurova Communication Reflex' program aired in cooperation with Reflex, which is the newspaper of Çukurova University Faculty of Communication and Economy, said that Turkey needs large investments, which will produce raw materials that will bring high value-added income.
Answering the questions of journalist Mehmet Uluğtürkan, who moderated the program, SASA Polyester Board Member Mehmet Şeker underlined that the biggest problem of the economy of Turkey is the current account deficit and said, “We need large investments to close the current account deficit. Today, we have to import for 85 cents to be able to export for 1 dollar. If we can achieve this situation with 1 dollar of exports and 45 cents of imports, we will be able to achieve growth, prosperity, and development. We can only achieve this with large and competitive production in high value-added sectors."
INVESTORS GET TIRED A LOT
Mentioning that they will produce 20 million tons of chemicals in Yumurtalık with an investment of 20 billion dollars, Şeker said, “With this investment, we will contribute to a significant decline in our country's imports. However, we really get tired. There has not been any public institution left in Yumurtalık that we have not corresponded with, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the General Staff, from municipalities to professional chambers. However, the sole addressee of large investments should be the Ministry of Investment. When my Chinese competitor decides to invest, it starts production within 24 months. I have been laboring for it for 5 years. There is a serious problem at this point."
WE WILL PRODUCE FERTILIZER FROM HYDROGEN
Expressing that Turkey realizes only 2 percent of the world's polyester production and that this rate will increase to 4,5 with SASA's investment, Şeker said, “We have to produce our own raw materials with our own technology and human resources. As SASA, this is what we are doing."
Reminding that one of the busiest units at SASA is the R&D Center, Şeker said, “We are establishing a PTA facility. PTA is the raw material of polyester. We are also establishing a paraxylene facility in Yumurtalık. And paraxylene is the raw material of PTA. Nevertheless, we will also start producing hydrogen and we have plans to produce fuel and fertilizer from this hydrogen. We will increase backward production of raw materials. This is Turkey's actual need. Added value, product diversity, and technology come with it."
TARGET IS TO EXCEED 1 BILLION DOLLARS IN EXPORTS
Şeker stated that SASA's investment is ongoing and the Erdemoğlu Family will continue to be in Adana and said, “We trust this city. It has a nice location that can reach half of the world within a four-hour flight distance. When Erdemoğlu Holding acquired SASA in 2015, it had one thousand employees, which is five thousand today. Our current exports of 500 million dollars will exceed 1 billion dollars within two years at the latest."
WE NEED COMMUNICATION IN EVERY FIELD
Expressing that lack of communication is costly in Turkey, SASA Polyester Board Member Dr. Mehmet Şeker said, “My business life, which I started as a physician, continued as a parliament deputy for two terms in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. If a doctor is unable to establish proper communication with his/her patient, the treatment will not give effective results. Politicians in Turkey do not listen to opposing discourses. Without communication, there is no development. Without communication there is no peace. We are a publicly traded company. We have over 200 thousand investors. We have communication with hundreds of stakeholders. We work with professionals in this field. We need young and talented communicators in all areas of society."
YOU CANNOT BE A MASTER OF A JOB WHERE YOU HAVE NOT WORKED AS AN APPRENTICE
Giving two recommendations to young communicators, SASA Polyester Board Member Mehmet Şeker said: “Strive to speak at least one foreign language at the level of your native language. Secondly, no matter what field you are in, be sure to be an apprentice of the job that you will master. If you are not an apprentice of what you are going to do, you may get somewhere by luck or favors of others, but you cannot stay there."
Source of News: Refleks Newspaper
Link to the News: https://bit.ly/4anigdG