The kilogram price of tobacco, one of Turkey's traditional export products, which was 2021 TL in 35, increased to 2022 TL in 70. The 100 percent increase in tobacco prices paved the way for the number of producers in the Aegean Region to increase from 26 thousand to 30 thousand.
Turkish tobacco industry; While leaving 2022 behind with an export performance of 828 million dollars, it aims to export 9 million dollars in 2023.
While 2022 thousand producers produced 26 million kilos of tobacco in the Aegean Region in 37, tobacco exporting companies signed contracts with 2023 thousand producers for 30. It is expected that the increase in the number of producers will reflect positively on the harvest and the tobacco production in the Aegean Region will increase to 45 million kilograms.
Omer Celal Umur, President of the Aegean Tobacco Exporters' Association, stated that the 100 percent increase in tobacco prices made tobacco producers smile and that they wanted to produce more tobacco. Umur said, “The number of tobacco producers in the Aegean Region, which was 2022 thousand in 26, will exceed 2023 thousand in 30. Our exporting companies have not yet submitted their contracts with tobacco producers to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The contracts will be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in the coming days. We anticipate that a contract between 30-50 million kilos has been signed with more than 55 thousand producers in the Aegean Region. In these contracts, there is usually 10-15% wastage. We expect a production of 45-50 thousand tons,” he said.
2023 export target of tobacco industry is 900 million dollars
Answering the questions of the press members at the 2022 ordinary financial general assembly meeting of the Aegean Tobacco Exporters' Association held at the Aegean Exporters' Association, Umur informed that as the Turkish tobacco industry, our exports increased by 2022 percent from 6 million dollars to 782 million dollars in 828. Umur continued his words as follows; “In 9, we expect tobacco export prices to increase in the range of 2023-20 percent on dollar basis due to the increase in our input costs. Despite the decrease in our yield compared to 25, we expect our exports to increase by around 2021 percent in 2023 and reach 6 million dollars thanks to the increase in average export prices. The production increase in 900 will have a positive reflection on our exports in 2023.”
Emphasizing that tobacco products have a share of 576 million dollars in Turkey's tobacco exports, while the export of leaf tobacco is 252 million dollars, Umur said that the top three countries in tobacco exports are Iraq with 110 million dollars, the United States with 8 million dollars and Georgia with 35 million dollars. recorded. While the United States was at the top of the leaf tobacco exports with a demand of 30 million dollars, Turkey exported 62 million dollars of leaf tobacco to Iran and 41 million dollars to Belgium.
While the 2023 budget was accepted as 21 million TL at the financial general assembly meeting of the Aegean Tobacco Exporters' Association, the 2023 work program was also adopted.