Turkey's raw mineral exports and processed imports on parliament's agenda

Mesut Doğan, a Member of Parliament for the Saadet Party in Ankara, has brought a critical issue before the Turkish Grand National Assembly: the nation's reliance on exporting raw strategic minerals while importing high-value processed goods.

Doğan directed his concerns to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, questioning the insufficient domestic infrastructure for smelting and refining. He highlighted that despite Turkey's rich mineral resources, a significant portion of extracted ore is not transformed into high-value end products within the country.

The lawmaker specifically pointed to the export of zinc ore as concentrate, while the domestic market largely depends on imported zinc ingots. He also brought up the closure of ÇİNKUR, Turkey's sole zinc smelter, after its privatization. Similarly, chrome is exported raw or as concentrate, yet stainless steel is imported at high costs. Doğan argued that the infrastructure for smelting, refining, and producing battery chemicals for critical metals like copper and nickel is also inadequate.

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Turkey's rich mineral resources and strategic mineral reserves, a significant portion of the extracted ore cannot be converted into high-value end products within the country.

Doğan posed several questions to Minister Bayraktar: why strategic minerals such as zinc, chrome, copper, nickel, and bauxite cannot be processed into high-value products domestically; how many active, semi-active, or defunct mineral processing, smelting, and refining facilities exist in Turkey; the estimated annual loss in added value from exporting raw or concentrated minerals and its effect on the current account deficit; and whether legislation is planned to mandate domestic processing of minerals.

Furthermore, Doğan inquired about the existence of a national "Integrated Metallurgy and Smelting Facilities Strategy Plan" to ensure critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries, the defense industry, and advanced technology are processed into end products in Turkey, and if so, its investment timeline.

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Why strategic minerals such as zinc, chrome, copper, nickel, and bauxite cannot be processed into high-value products domestically?