EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION IN TERMS OF COUNTRIES AND PRODUCTS: AN ASSESSMENT OF MERSIN PROVINCE IN TURKEY

Abstract

While the globalization process makes the world a big market without borders, it offers important opportunities to the economies. On the other hand, it increases the risk of fragility for economies that cannot manage the process properly. If the export mix is dependent on a small number of products and markets, the balance of the economy may deteriorate when there is a problem specific to these products or markets. In this direction, it is aimed to reduce the economic and political risks that may arise from being dependent on several products or markets with diversification in exports. Of course, first of all, it is necessary to determine whether such a situation exists or not. In this study, the product and market concentration level in the export of Mersin province in Turkey was determined by using the Concentration Ratio and the Gini-Hirschman Index. The findings showed that the product concentration in Mersin province exports is at the highest level and the country concentration is at the medium level. It has been observed that the concentration, which had an increasing trend between 2011 and 2014 in both product and country concentration, showed a decreasing trend in the 2014-2020 period. In the agricultural sector, which accounts for more than half of Mersin's exports, the option of increasing product diversity by turning to processed agricultural products and diversifying the market with geographical indications, branding and innovative products should be considered.

Keywords

• Export
• Concentration Ratio
• Gini-Hirschman Index
• Mersin
• Turkey

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