THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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This year, the season has started fast in hazelnut, where Turkey is the leader in world trade and earned 2 billion 10 million 787 thousand dollars in return for export of 292 thousand 440 tons last year. A total of 351 thousand tonnes of exports are targeted in hazelnuts, which reached an export figure of 140 thousand tonnes in the first quarter.
On September 1, the export season started in hazelnut, one of Turkey’s agricultural values. In the first quarter of this year’s export season, an export figure of 140 thousand tonnes was reached in hazelnuts, which earned 2 billion 10 million 787 thousand dollars in return for the export of 292 thousand 440 tonnes last year. With 343 thousand tonnes, the record of the 2019-2020 period, when the highest export was made in history, is aimed to break that record with an export figure of over 350 thousand tonnes.
National Hazelnut Council (UFK) Board Member and Trabzon Commodity Exchange Chair of Assembly Sebahattin Arslantürk said that they are close to a new export record in hazelnuts and said, “We have reached 140 thousand tonnes of kernel hazelnuts in the export season that started on September 1. After that, we have the possibility of breaking a new record on hazelnut kernel exports. Our expectation is to export around 351 tonnes of hazelnut kernels.”
“Production is carried out on an area of 740 thousand hectares. We are the country with the least yield in such an area in the world. Our average production is below 100 kilograms. There are efforts to increase production and quality in this area. If we boost production, we will be able to reach our export targets of 400-500 thousand tonnes of hazelnut kernels. This is how we approach the export target of 5 billion dollars that we set before,”Arslantürk added.
Referring to the importance of sustainability in production, Arslantürk concluded, “If the production rises according to the exports we have made for the last 3 years, the worldwide consumption will also rise. We think that the foreign exchange inflow, which was 2 billion dollars last year, will reach 2 billion 100 million dollars this year. 90 percent of this product is sold on dollar basis as an export product. We must not only ensure sustainability in production, but also have a permanent policy in price so that we can reach our targets faster.”
