The US ban on Turkmen Cotton and It’s Impact on Turkmenistan’s Trade Relationship with Turkey

Abstract

As a consequence of many independent reports arguing that forced labour is being widely used to pick cotton in Turkmenistan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a ban on the import of cotton from Turkmenistan on May 18 2018. As a significant textile producer, Turkey is one of the primary global trading partners of Turkmenistan which includes the products made of cotton, and these products may be exported to the U.S. and other Western markets. Turkish foreign investment in the Turkmen garment industry is worth analysing because these textile factories produce mainly for the international market, not for domestic consumption. As Turkish investment in the sector is for export, the outputs are expected to be sold in the global market within the supply chains of global brands. Therefore, the various international campaigns against the country that resulted in corporate decisions to stop sourcing Turkmen cotton-have dealt a blow to the economic relationship of both countries. This article aims to map the trade relations between two countries and summarizing the approaches of social actors in the garment industry based on a literature review and interviews with industry social actors.