Turkey, which has surpassed the annual export limit of 1,6 billion dollars with the production of 1 million tons of organic certified products that do not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, aims to obtain a foreign exchange income of 1,5 billion dollars from organic products, thanks to the green agriculture movement that is spreading around the world.
Exporters, who foresee that the market will grow rapidly as countries such as the EU, the USA and the Far East aim to expand their organic sectors with green agriculture projects, are increasing their effectiveness at international fairs. Exporters, who have completed their preparations for the BioFach Fair in Germany, which is considered the world's largest meeting point for organic products, are planning to return with new connections from the fair to be organized in Nuremberg between 13-16 February.
At the BioFach Fair, where the Aegean Exporters' Associations organized the 2024 National Participation Organization, a total of 37 Turkish companies will reflect their claims in the field of green agriculture by introducing their products and projects.
Stating that, as the Aegean Exporters' Associations, they are the coordinator union in organic product exports and that 75 percent of Turkey's organic product exports are from the Aegean Region, Mehmet Ali Işık, Chairman of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, said that organic products started with dried fruits in the 1980s. He emphasized that the product story is growing like a snowball with investments made in many different sectors today. Stating that Turkey uses its potential in agriculture in the organic field, Işık said, “Our country has gained a lot of experience in this regard. We are currently the 4th country in Europe and the 13th country in the world in terms of the number of farmers. “We are trying to popularize this.” said.
Stating that the organic agriculture market in world trade has exceeded 125 billion dollars, that supermarkets selling only organic products have emerged in Europe, and that organic sections have begun to form in markets in Turkey, Işık continued as follows: "Grapes, figs and apricots, which are the main products of our country, are in production and exports." We are in a leading position. We have 268 types of products. We added frozen fresh vegetables and fruits to the dried fruit. We are far ahead in cherries, sour cherries and hazelnuts. We are increasing our diversity day by day with products such as oilseeds, olive oils, pulses and grains. We have exports of around 1 billion dollars. Our food exports are around 500-600 million dollars, and cotton and organic textiles are close to 500 million dollars. Therefore, we left the 1 billion dollar figure behind. Our current goal is to reach 1,5 billion dollars.”
Stating that the EU set a target to increase the share of organic products in agricultural production to 25-30 percent with the "green agreement" declared after the problems it experienced in food supply during the pandemic period, and that they decided to allocate 60 percent of the agricultural budget to this field, Işık said that this meant organic products. He pointed out that it would greatly increase its market.
Pointing out that the organic products that Turkey offers to the world are not grown in this quality in any other country, Işık said, “We will continue to send these products. There will be more demand. Because they use it by mixing it into their own products. It is used in bread, cakes and salads. "For this reason, our goal is to increase our exports to 1,5 billion dollars in the first place and then to 2 billion dollars," he said.
Stating that basin-based production is essential for Turkey to reveal its organic production potential, Işık continued his words as follows; “As a country, we can increase the share of organic agriculture to 2030 percent by 10 by prioritizing basin-based production. We can achieve this by preventing the division of lands through inheritance, integrating land, and making basin-based production. In parallel with the European Union's 2030 target, we; We want to switch to basin-based production and support organic production in Turkey. In this way, we can both protect our lands and raise healthy generations. “We also sell more value-added products to the world.”
