While Turkey's dried fruit exports amounted to 2022 billion 1 million dollars in 571 with a flat course, the dried fruit sector achieved a 15% increase in exports in target markets and increased its exports to target markets from 196 million dollars to 225 million dollars.
Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, which is the leader of Turkey in exports in the dried fruit sector, determined as the target market; It is reaping the fruits of its many years of work to increase its exports to the United States, China, Japan, Brazil, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Among the target countries of the dried fruit sector, which is also compatible with the Remote Markets Strategy of the Ministry of Commerce for 2023, the USA became the leader among the target countries with an export of 126 million dollars, while China took the second place with a demand for Turkish dried fruits of 32,7 million dollars. Dried fruit exports to Japan increased by 15 percent from $24 million to $28 million. While Brazil demanded 2021 million dollars of Turkish dried fruit in 15, it increased its demand by 2022 percent in 55 and imported 23 million dollars of Turkish dried fruit.
dried fruits healthy food
Mehmet Ali Işık, President of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, stated that Turkish producers have been producing dried fruits, which are defined as healthy foods by the World Health Organization, for hundreds of years, and that they export them to more than 110 countries as exporters. He stated that the share of harmony between institutes, universities and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is great.
Speaking at the general assembly held at the Aegean Exporters' Associations, Chairman Işık informed that the Boards and Technical Committees formed for Dried Figs, Dried Apricots and Raisins continue their work as the Board of Directors of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association. Işık said, “We have also established the Organic Products Committee, Science and Technology Board, Economy and Finance Board, Promotion and Marketing Boards in the new period and included them in the activities. We have achieved success in target markets with the efforts of these boards and the active marketing efforts of our exporters. We manage 100 thousand producers with the work we do in these boards. Behind the success in the dried fruit sector lies the sustainability-oriented work that has been going on for 35-40 years.”
The acquisition of TMO in raisins brought success
Işık stated that as a result of their work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Soil Products Office made stock purchases for the seedless raisins, the leading export product of the dried fruit industry, and this ensures price stability. He emphasized that the raisin quality of the products in his stock has increased.
Sharing the information that Turkey will export 2022 thousand tons of raisins in the 23-250 season, Işık underlined that they aim to reach the export level of 275-300 thousand tons by solving the pesticide problems in raisins.
The world's view of health has changed after the pandemic
EKMİB President Mehmet Ali Işık, who stated that "the world's perspective on health has changed after the pandemic," continued his words as follows, "The frequency of control in food products has been increased. Control frequency in dried figs increased to 30 percent. We held a joint workshop with TÜBİTAK and we are conducting a joint project in order to prevent the formation of aflatoxin and ochracoxin in dried figs. We are working with TUBITAK on what needs to be done in enterprises to prevent the formation of aflatoxin and ochratoxin. As a sector, we must concentrate on total quality and food safety. The work we will do in 2023 will be more difficult than in 2022. The decisions of the buyers force us,” he summarized.
Self; “We can jump the threshold in exports with new products”
Osman Öz, Chairman of the Turkish Dried Fruit Industry Board, pointed out that Turkey has been a strong player in the export of dried fruit for 150 years, but that the development of the sector in exports lags behind what it desires.
Noting that Peru entered the production of blueberry products 10 years ago, Öz said, “At the end of the 10-year period, Peru's blueberry export reached the level of 1,5 billion dollars. At the end of our 150-year export journey, we stuck to the export level of 1,1 billion dollars in seedless raisins, dried figs and dried apricots. We export raisins for 1,5 dollars, we sell them for free, we compete with each other to sell them for free. We should review this export policy and focus on value-added exports.”
In the financial general assembly of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, the 2023 budget was accepted as 30 million 500 thousand TL, and the 2023 work program was unanimously accepted.