Turkey to become pharmaceutical production to reduce CAD

Science, Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergun announced on Thursday that the government is working on a roadmap to make Turkey a center for the production of pharmaceutical output to decrease the import of foreign medication, which contributes to the country's current account deficit (CAD). Noting that studies regarding the roadmap are nearly complete and that it will be submitted to the Economy Coordination Board (EKK) soon, Ergun said the new roadmap aims to bring Turkey to a point where research and development of new molecules take place within the country. He said the pharmaceutical sector in the country exports $700 million worth of goods while importing $4.5 billion. "The pharmaceutical sector is one of the main sectors that had the highest account deficit. It also has room for improvement in the fields of innovation, R&D as well as added value." Commenting on the inspection and standards of sectors overall, Ergun said: "Particularly with sugar, there are many loopholes present that have never been inspected. For example, sweeteners have not been subject to inspections because there is no institution set up to check up on them."  Also pointing out that 85 percent of the sugar production in the country comes from sugar beets, he said due to seasonal conditions the production of sugar from sugar cane is not very common, increasing costs. Pointing out that even paint used to paint lane lines on roads is imported, he said the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) is working on a project to produce a paint that is more appropriate for roads in the country and which could later be exported to other countries. The minister reiterated that the government is working in a manner that has more support for technological advancement in industries and said, "With the new systems and methods, we will be able to contribute to the economy with the use of renewable energy." He emphasized that waste in the country is seen as garbage and that people are not aware that it can be recycled. "According to our estimates, about $7-8 billion in revenue can be made," he said. Pointing to the fact that a roadmap for renewable waste was implemented two years ago, he said many municipalities throughout the country had adopted great practices. He stressed the benefits of producing energy from waste, among them a reduction in the negative impact on the environment.