Fresh fruits and vegetables worth $2 billion 294 million were exported from Turkiye in the 9 months of the year.
Ali Kavak, Chairman of the Turkish Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Sector Board, said that Antalya has rich potential in agriculture and especially in greenhouse agriculture.
Stating that Turkiye is in a very good position in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, Kavak stated that $2 billion 294 million 280 thousand of exports were achieved in the period between January 1 and September 30. Stating that $973 million 465 thousand 111 of this figure is made up of fruits, $786 million 698 thousand 662 of it is made up of vegetables, Kavak noted that the remaining part is made up of the citrus sector.
Reminding that fresh vegetable and fruit exports were $1 billion 942 million 471 thousand in the same period last year, Kavak stated that there was an 18% increase compared to last year.
Surplus of the domestic market is exported
Stating that, as a union, they do not only focus on exports, but also work to strengthen production, Kavak noted that they frequently meet with producers, listen to their problems and make efforts to solve them.
Emphasizing that the competitiveness increases as the quality of the product increases, Kavak said, “The healthier and higher quality the production, the more easily we can market our products.”
In this respect, Kavak stated that they aim to strengthen agriculture in Turkiye and bring it to a good point by sharing the problems they encounter in the foreign market with both exporters and producers, and said:
“The fresh fruit and vegetable sector is Turkiye’s source of employment. It is a sector where millions of people in the country find work and food. We have an export target of nearly $3.5 billion this year, this figure is very important because we do not have an import output, it is a net foreign exchange inflow and millions of people share it.”
Kavak pointed out that production and export in the sector are very difficult and stated that they are immediately affected by issues such as climate, natural disasters and political events.
Stating that they export from Turkiye to nearly 100 countries, Kavak said, “We export more than we produce. We export only 8-9% of what we produce, and our people consume the rest. Our main market is the Russian Federation, we make 60% of our exports to this market. Ukraine is also our important export center. The war between the two countries had a negative impact on the sector, but there is recovery.”
Tomatoes and peppers are by far the leader in exports
Umit Mirza Cavusoglu, President of the Western Mediterranean Exporters Association, said that one of the most important sectors in the region where Antalya, Isparta and Burdur are located is fresh fruits and vegetables.
Pointing out that Antalya, in particular, is a leader in greenhouse agriculture, Cavusoglu stated that they also have a significant potential in terms of export. Noting that exports in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector are increasing every year, Cavusoglu said, “Especially in export products, tomatoes and peppers are by far the leader. Our priority in terms of food security is to meet our country’s exports. We export surplus product. For example, there is a surplus of around 17-20% in tomato production, but we do not export all of it.”
Cavusoglu stated that they mostly export fresh fruits and vegetables to nearby regions.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz