Nejdat Sin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mediterranean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, stated that Russia’s closure of its border with China due to the new type of coronavirus outbreak had a positive impact on Turkish exports and said, “We had a clearly visible increase in exports. “We are ready to meet the increasing demand.” said.
Fruit Logistica 2020, organized by Messe Berlin and attended by fresh fruit and vegetable industry representatives from many countries, started with a record level of participation.
In his statement to Turkish press members at the fair, Sin said that they took part in the fair to enter new alternative markets and that there was great interest in Turkish products.
Sin said, “We are looking at alternative markets, the ones we mainly talk to are Asian countries. These countries are China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. We plan to export mainly citrus fruits. What we call hard stones are apricots, nectarines, peaches and cherries. We send these by air cargo. “We have partially entered these markets and we are trying to develop them.” he said.
Stating that they, as fresh fruit and vegetable exporters, are trying to be prepared against the increasing protectionism in trade in the world, Sin said, “Our production is constantly increasing. Fresh vegetables and fruits are also like fashion. We are developing new products with universities and the Ministry of Agriculture. “As a country, we are striving to be better, not whether it is enough or not.” he said.
Explaining that Russia closed its border with China when the coronavirus outbreak started, but this was not reported in the press, Sin emphasized that this would positively affect Turkey’s fresh fruit and vegetable exports.
Sin said, “China was exporting a very significant amount of fresh vegetables and vegetables, especially lemons, to Russia. Closing the border with China will be a plus for us. We had a clearly visible increase in exports. We are ready to meet the increasing demand. “ he commented.
50 companies from Turkey are participating
This year, 3,300 companies from 93 countries participated in the Fruit Logistica fair, which is the largest in Europe in its field, and a total of 50 companies, individual and national, participated from Turkey. This year, Turkey is represented by 35 companies in a total area of 1,000 square meters under national participation.
15 Turkish companies are individually participating in the fair, which is considered as a good opportunity for Turkey, which has an important position in global agriculture, to introduce itself. This year, 50 percent of Chinese companies canceled their participation in the fair, where Ecuador is the official partner country, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
According to the Mediterranean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, Turkey produces approximately 54 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables annually. Last year, Turkey exported 4 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and earned 2.26 billion dollars in export revenue.
Russia ranked first in the country’s fresh fruit and vegetable exports with 746 million dollars, while Germany ranked second with 215 million dollars and Iraq ranked third with 165 million dollars.
