TİM Chairman: "Agriculture Sector Is Experiencing Its Golden Age"

Turkey's Exporters Assembly (TİM) Chairman İsmail Gülle, speaking at the opening of the 89th İzmir International Fair, said "Global trade faced the largest contraction since World War II due to the pandemic. Our country's exports, however, caught the tailwinds with the normalization steps that came in June. Particularly, the Agriculture sector, which ranks among our strategic sectors, is experiencing a golden age in its history during the pandemic period. We believe this positive trend will continue in the final quarter of the year," he said. İsmail Gülle, Chairman of Turkey's Exporters Assembly (TİM), which represents 61 exporter associations across 27 sectors and 95,000 exporters as the single umbrella organization for exports in Turkey, spoke at the opening of the 89th İzmir International Fair, held physically with the participation of Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. Noting that global trade faced the largest contraction since World War II due to the pandemic, Gülle said, "International organizations made increasingly negative forecasts one after another. Our country's exports, however, caught the tailwinds with the normalization steps that came in June. Particularly, the Agriculture sector, which ranks among our strategic sectors, is experiencing a golden age in its history during the pandemic. The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Cereals, and Fruit and Vegetable Products sectors achieved their best eight-month performance in history despite the pandemic. The Cement, Glass, Ceramics and Clay Products, Carpets, Cereals, Pulses, Oil Seeds and Products, Fruit and Vegetable Products, Furniture, Paper and Forest Products, Defense and Aviation Industries, Ornamental Plants and Products, and Fresh Fruits and Vegetables sectors reached their highest August export figures in history. We believe this positive trend will continue in the final quarter of the year," he said.

We rapidly adapted to digitalization while the world postponed fairs

Gülle made the following assessment regarding the importance of the İzmir International Fair: "Our fair, which has achieved many firsts, has witnessed numerous national and international cyclical changes since its opening and hosted many different cultures under its roof. In the field of trade fairs, in 1926, when concepts such as 'traveling museum' or 'traveling fair' did not yet exist in the world, our country laid the foundations for both our exports and tourism with the Black Sea steamer in 16 different ports. From those days to today, the purpose of trade fairs has never changed, but the method is in a continuous process of change and development. The latest point in this process was bringing our fairs together with the digital environment in the 'New Normal' order, where we benefit greatly from the blessings of digitalization. With our support for the Shoedex 2020 Virtual Fair, Agrivirtual Agricultural and Livestock Machinery Virtual Fair, Furnistry 2020 Virtual Fair, Study in Turkey Fair, and Digital Shoe Fair, we brought our companies together with buyers in virtual channels. We adapted quite rapidly to such a period when fairs around the world were being postponed indefinitely one after another. As Turkey's Exporters Assembly, the single umbrella organization for exports in Turkey with over 95,000 members, on this day when we have come together, we wish to bring the synergy we have created to its best point in commercial terms. Turkey will rise through exports, and exports will surely rise through the efforts of İzmir and its people."