Konya's Rising Status in Defense Industry Exports

In recent times, Konya has held an important position in defense industry exports.

Today, in defense industry exports in Turkey, Konya ranks fourth with 135 million dollars. Nearly a significant portion of this, close to 130 million dollars, is realized in the neighborhoods of Huğlu and Üzümlü in Beyşehir. There are around 35,000 people employed in this sector in Turkey, and 13,500 of them are employed in this region.

The production of weapons in Huğlu, a former town and now a neighborhood affiliated with the Beyşehir district of Konya, dates back to the 1910s. Mustafa Çavuş, who was responsible for repairing weapons in the army during World War I, returned to his hometown of Huğlu and started repairing guns. Some members of the Huğlu community, who were involved in carting, blacksmithing, and construction work at that time, learned gun repair from Mustafa Çavuş, whom they took as an example, and started doing it themselves. During this period, with many people in Huğlu producing shotguns on the lower floors of their homes or in workshops, the control of firearm production was taken into consideration. In 1962, the Huğlu Shotgun Cooperative was established with 106 partners to bring the production of firearms under control and consolidate it under one roof. Currently, both the cooperative and the factories and workshops in Huğlu and the neighboring Üzümlü contribute to the production of shotguns. The export value of the shotguns produced in these areas has reached 135 million dollars.