Aegean Region Sets Record in Fruit and Vegetable Products Exports

Aegean Region Sets 54-Year Export Record in Fresh Produce and Processed Fruits and Vegetables Fresh produce and processed fruits and vegetables sector reached the peak of agricultural product exports from the Aegean Region in 2020. The Aegean Fresh Produce and Processed Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association (EYMSİB), which ranked third among the 7 agricultural associations under Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri with USD 890 million in exports in 2019, reached USD 1.003 billion in exports between 1 January and 19 December 2020, surpassing the USD 1 billion threshold for the first time in its 54-year history and topped the agricultural associations within EİB in 2020. Hayrettin Uçak, Chairman of the Aegean Fresh Produce and Processed Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association, speaking at a press conference held online, said: "2020 was a year we would prefer not to remember due to the coronavirus and earthquakes we experienced. With just days left to complete 2020, we received good news from our Association. The Aegean Fresh Produce and Processed Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association, founded in 1966, recorded fresh produce and processed fruits and vegetables exports exceeding USD 1 billion for the first time in its 54-year history in 2020. We are pleased to have achieved the USD 1 billion export target we set at the beginning of this year, unaware of all the adverse conditions that would unfold." Uçak, sharing information that the Association's exports consist of two main sectors, continued: "One is the processed fruits and vegetables sector, and the other is the fresh produce sector. Of the USD 1.003 billion in exports realized in the portion of 2020 that has passed, USD 670 million came from processed fruits and vegetables and USD 333 million from fresh produce. Our members have successfully exported to 140 countries in processed fruits and vegetables and to 87 countries in fresh produce."

Pickles and Cherries Lead Export Performance

Chairman Uçak underlined that pickles are the export champion product in processed fruits and vegetables, stating: "Gherkin and cucumber pickle exports amounted to USD 97.082 million, while pepper pickle generated USD 90.650 million in foreign exchange. Dried tomatoes ranked third among the most-exported processed fruits and vegetables with USD 76.3 million. The leader in the fresh produce category was cherries with USD 54.695 million. Table grape exports generated USD 48.682 million in foreign exchange, while tomato exports ranked third with USD 45.347 million. The top three countries for processed fruits and vegetables exports are Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, while the countries to which we export the most fresh produce are Russia, Germany and Ukraine."  

Russia's Tomato Import Quota Rises to 250,000 Tonnes

Tomatoes, the fresh produce product with the highest exports from Turkey nationwide in 2020, faced sector difficulties as the quota in the Russian Federation, the largest export market, reached its 200,000-tonne limit. Hayrettin Uçak, Chairman of the Aegean Fresh Produce and Processed Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association, shared information that the quota is set to increase from 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes. Uçak stated: "On this matter, I would like to thank our Minister of Commerce Ruhsar Pekcan, our Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Bekir Pakdemirli, our TİM Chairman İsmail Gülle and Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi for their efforts on behalf of our sector. I extend my gratitude to our producers who continued production with dedication under pandemic conditions this year, to our more than 600 exporters who contributed to our export record, and on behalf of myself and our board, I wish that 2021 will be a year of health and happiness."