Aegean Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds and Products Exporters' Association (EHBYİB) has increased its exports 4 times in the last 4 years and has managed to exceed the 1 billion dollar threshold.
Speaking at the Aegean Cereals, Pulses, Oil Seeds and Products Exporters' Association Financial General Assembly Meeting held at the Aegean Exporters' Association, EHBYİB Chairman of the Board Muhammet Öztürk said: Increasing the cooperation with exporters and all stakeholders in order to increase the exports of their sectors in a sustainable manner in the first year of their term of office and to find solutions to the problems experienced. He said they are working hard for it.
Export target for 2023 is 1,1 billion dollars
Öztürk, who shared that the cereals, pulses and oilseeds industry exported 2022 billion dollars throughout Turkey in 11,4, said, “As the Aegean grains, pulses oilseeds industry, we increased our exports from 2022 million dollars to over 47 billion dollars in 682, with an increase of 1 percent. We have succeeded in being the 1th exporter union that has exceeded the 6 billion dollar threshold under the umbrella of Aegean Exporters' Associations. We will continue to work, produce and export with all our strength in order to increase the 1 billion dollar export volume of our sector in the upcoming periods. Our goal for 2023 is to bring 1,1 billion dollars of foreign currency to our country,” he said.
Vegetable oil sector made 100 dollars of every $61 export.
Expressing that they have a wide product range and that each sector has a great contribution to exports, Öztürk summarized the breakdown of the sector's exports as follows; “Our vegetable oil exporters made 100 dollars out of every $61 export made by our union last year. Our meal and animal feed exports have a high growth momentum, with an increase of 67 percent to 123 million dollars, our exports of oilseeds to 140 million dollars with an increase of 98 percent, our exports of chocolate confectionery to 3 million dollars with an increase of 48 percent, and food preparations to 25 million dollars with an increase of 41 percent.”
White poppy export to India opens after years
Öztürk underlined that there have been problems in exports to India, the largest export market in white poppy exports, and that they have spent a lot of time trying to solve these problems. We have been working on the export of white poppy seeds to India, our traditional export market, since 2016. India, the largest buyer of white poppy, of which Turkey is the world leader in production and export, became the fourth country to which our Union members export the most, with a demand of 2022 million dollars in 86. We will continue to strive for the uninterrupted continuation of our poppy seed exports in the next period.”
URGE Project is coming
Explaining that they started their work for the International Competitiveness Development (URGE) Project, which is supported by the Ministry of Commerce, which provides support for the exporting companies to cluster in the international arena, support their institutionalization and increase their competitiveness, and increase the export competencies of the companies, President Öztürk invited grain, pulse, oilseed exporters to take part in the URGE Project.
TURQUALITY Project doubled food exports to the USA
Öztürk shared the knowledge that they carry out fairs, sectoral trade delegations, purchasing committees, URGE and TURQUALITY projects together with 6 food exporters' associations under the umbrella of Aegean Exporters' Associations and continued his words as follows; “With our Turkish Tastes Turquality project, which we carried out with the support of the Ministry of Commerce in the US market and started its second four-year period, we have accomplished very successful works. In the food products we introduced in our project, we increased our exports to the USA from 4 million dollars to over 700 billion 1 million dollars in a 450-year period. In 2022, as the cereals, pulses, oilseeds and products sector, we realized approximately half of Turkey's food products exports to the USA, with an export of 708 million dollars to the USA. We aim to increase the exports of our cereals, pulses, oilseeds industry to the USA above 1 billion dollars.”
Member relations development project was launched
Expressing that they visited the member companies of the Aegean Cereals, Pulses, Oil Seeds and Products Exporters' Association, listened to the problems experienced by the companies, and then took initiatives especially before TIM and the Ministry of Trade and followed them to solve the problems, Öztürk called on the exporting companies to share their problems and solution suggestions with the board of directors.