In the cat and dog food industry, which has grown and developed in recent years, exports increased by 11.8% in 2020 compared to the previous period, reaching $176 million 200 thousand.
Realizing that the import-intensive market for food supply in Turkey is growing day by day with the increase in the number of families that feed pets, domestic investors have started to invest millions of dollars in the cat and dog food industry.
Domestic investors, who also turned to export after their success in the domestic market, exported much more than some traditional export products with the success they achieved in the export of cat and dog food in a short time.
According to data compiled from Aegean Exporters’ Associations, Turkey’s cat and dog food industry’s exports to 110 countries increased by 11.8% in 2020 compared to the previous year, rising from $157 million 535 thousand to $176 million 200 thousand.
Salihli has become the center
Organized Industrial Zone in Salihli district of Manisa has become one of the important centers of cat and dog food production in Turkey with the investments it has received. In Salihli OIZ, where a company started to produce cat and dog food in 2009, 4 companies in total today produce food for our “dear friends” and 2 companies provide feed supplements to food manufacturers.
Ibrahim Yuksel, Chairman of the Board of Salihli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated to the AA correspondent that the situation in the market where 80% imported products were dominant until 10 years ago due to domestic investments, the market share is now 80% domestic and 20% imported food.
Noting that domestic cat and dog food producers working in the domestic market have developed in 10 years and become exporters, Yuksel said:
“Our first factory started production in 2009. After a very short time, the second factory was established. Then, with the arrival of other investments, the number of our factories increased to 4. We have become Turkey’s food production center, 60% of the cat and dog food produced in our country started to leave the Salihli Organized Industrial Zone. Our 4 factories in our Salihli Organized Industrial Zone exported cat and dog food to approximately 60 countries last year. In addition to our 4 factories that export this, we have two more factories producing feed supplements. Two of our companies, which produce food supplements, also have export-oriented studies.”
Gizem Tugrul, the sales and marketing manager of a company that produces cat and dog food in the Salihli Organized Industrial Zone, reminded that they stepped into the sector 4 years ago, and said, “We produce 50 thousand tons of cat and dog food annually in our 13 thousand 500 square meter facility. We are currently producing on a single line, but we want to open our second production line in 2022 and double our capacity. We are actively exporting to 30 countries.”
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz