General Overview
Bartın is located in the Western Black Sea (TR81) region together with Zonguldak and Karabük. According to the Western Black Sea Development Agency (BAKKA), owing to the province's forest resources, the manufacture of wood and wood products and of furniture stands out in terms of the number of enterprises. The manufacture of food products, wearing apparel, other transport equipment and non-metallic mineral products is also among the sectors with a high number of enterprises in the province.
Industry and Employment
According to BAKKA's 2022 data, 18 percent of the industrial facilities in the region are located in Bartın; Bartın Central District has 191 industrial facilities, providing employment for 10,343 people. According to the 2020 BAKKA report based on data from the Provincial Directorate of Industry and Technology, as of 31 December 2019, 9,148 people were employed in 175 workplaces registered in the industrial registry, and the textile and apparel sector provided approximately 41 percent of this employment. Forest products and furniture, food, metal goods and machinery, and stone- and soil-based industries are also among the province's main branches of industry.
Organized Industrial Zone
The mixed organized industrial zone operating in the province is the Bartın OIZ, and expansion works are ongoing. According to the 2020 BAKKA report, as of 2019, 26 enterprises were operating on 30 industrial parcels in the 96-hectare zone, employing approximately 4,000 people. The Bartın Innovation and Testing Center, with 4,000 m² of enclosed area, is located within the Bartın OIZ. BAKKA also notes that initiatives are under way to establish an agriculture-based specialized OIZ in Bartın and an OIZ in Abdipaşa.
Port and Foreign Trade
Bartın Port is the province's gateway to foreign trade. According to the Bartın Governorship's 2020 provincial briefing, a total of 1,356,322 tons of cargo was loaded and unloaded at the port in 2019. The main products exported through the port are profile iron, cement, gypsum, construction materials and diatomite; those imported are billets and pig iron, coal, logs and wood pulp. According to BAKKA, Bartın's exports in 2022 amounted to 32.8 million dollars.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Among non-wood forest products, chestnut is one of the province's important products. According to BAKKA's 2021 report based on TÜİK data, 5,933 tons of chestnuts were produced in Bartın in 2019, and the province ranked third in Türkiye's chestnut production that year, after Aydın and İzmir. In fishing, according to Bartın Governorship data, approximately 2,964 tons of seafood were caught in 2019, most of which consisted of anchovy; sea snail harvesting also holds an important place. According to the 2020 provincial briefing, the province has 194 commercial fishing vessels and three fishing shelters.
Mining, Boat Building and Tourism
According to the Amasra Municipality, the Amasra Regional Directorate affiliated with Ereğli Coal Enterprises was established in the district in 1973, and mining developed after this period. Wooden boat building continues at the Kapısuyu and Tekkeönü shipyards in Kurucaşile. Tourism is also an important part of the economy: according to 2022 data reported by BAKKA, Bartın Central District and Amasra are among the districts with the highest bed occupancy rates in the region.
Sources
Western Black Sea Development Agency; Amasra Municipality; Bartın Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.