Business

Turkey: ₺2 billion worth of sugary products exported

Semsi Kopuz, President of the Sugar Products Manufacturers Association (SEMAD), stated that the sales of sugar and chocolate decreased during the Eid-el Fitr due to Covid-19, but that Turkey sweetened the mouth of the whole world with the sugary products exported. Stating that the sugary and confectionery products sector has exported ₺1.9 billion, Kopuz said, “The most exported product groups were biscuits, wafers, waffles and gummy jelly candies.”

SEMAD President Kopuz stated that the sales of sugary products and chocolate were at a low rate this year due to the pandemic in his assessment to SABAH and said, “In general, when we look at the annual sales, there was no decrease in the sales of the brands that protect the health of the consumer and pay attention to the food safety. However, most of the annual sales were carried out during the holidays. During the Eid-el Fitr last year, sales were not high due to Covid-19 and curfews. There was not a very high volume of sales before this holiday.”

Stating that the companies closely follow the new consumer trends and demands after covid-19 and produce according to the needs of the market, Kopuz said, “Under normal conditions, sugary product consumption would be higher than chocolate, but most of it was the group we call holiday candy. The sales volume in this group in the domestic market is lower than before Covid-19 due to the restrictions on the holiday.”

PRICE INCREASE IS NOT HIGH

Pointing out that the costs have increased due to the pandemic, Kopuz continued: “Of course, the costs have increased a little, but since we procure most of the raw materials from Turkey, high price increases in confectionery products are not in question. In general, there is inflation in food prices all over the world, but it is not very high for sugar products at the moment. However, we anticipate that we may experience difficulties regarding the sustainability of raw material supply in the coming years. “

EXPORT LEVEL OF $2 BILLION

Referring to the export figures of the sector, Kopuz said, “In 2020, $1.9 billion of exports and $415 thousand of imports were realized in the sugar and sugary products sector. The sector, which has a foreign trade surplus of $1.5 billion and exports 4.5 times its imports, is a net exporter. We can count the most exported product groups in 2020 as biscuits, wafers, waffles and gummy jelly candies, respectively. In 2020, biscuit exports increased by 3.1%, wafers and waffles by 1.2%, and gummy jelly candies increased by 7% compared to the previous year. When we look at the same period of the previous year, we see an increase of approximately $58 million in exports.”

CHOOSE KNOWN BRAND PRODUCTS

Kopuz also warned the citizens to consume correct and reliable products and said, “Although there has been a decrease in the production under the stairs with the awareness of the consumers and increasing the inspections recently, unfortunately there are still those who continue. For this reason, it is very important for our companies that protect the health of consumers and pay attention to food safety to consume branded products. It is necessary to avoid food produced by opportunists, especially during the holidays, produced under unhealthy conditions.”

Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz

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