THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
Low Yield, High Quality…
Alper Alhat, Chair of the Akhisar Commodity Exchange, announced that the olive harvest to be around 170–180 thousand tonnes.
“This year, the yield will be low but the quality will be high. We expect the table olives to be large and the oils to be aromatic and of high quality. Spanish prices are used as the global benchmark. In fact, countries such as Italy and Greece set their own prices independently based on their own dynamics. In Türkiye, prices used to be tied to Spain, but last year, when prices fell sharply in Spain, Türkiye managed to diverge somewhat,” Alhat said.
“Türkiye can find the right price based on the producer’s costs and the consumer’s purchasing power without being overly influenced by anyone else. I hope that this year will see a price that satisfies both producers and consumers,” Alhat noted.
Supplying is a dead end…
Real exports and a controlled domestic market are the only salvation…
Pointing out that for years, they thought supplying Italy and Spain was exporting, Alhat explained, “However, they do not use the oil they buy from us for domestic consumption. Under the Inwards Processing Regime (DİR), they buy from us, bottle it and sell it to other countries. I am very pleased to see that we have moved from the ease of being a supplier to competing tooth and nail with them in the global markets. However, we need the support of our government. We used to have support for packaged exports. It was abolished a few years ago. We demand that they be reinstated. In the domestic market, we expect the chaos on the internet and in marketplaces to be prevented. Consumers are confused. They are unsure which products to trust. If our Ministry revokes the licences of companies proven to be counterfeiting and adulterating products and lists those who do their job well, it will establish consumer confidence in the system and reduce the tendency to go off the record.”
The Gap Between Producer Price and Consumer Price Has Closed for Olive Oil…
“In the past, olive oil bought from farmers for 5 liras would be sold in the market for 15 liras. Farmers who saw this or consumers who heard the wholesale price, felt exploited. Now, not only discount markets but all markets and brands sell olive oil at reasonable prices. So, it can be done when desired. As a result, the rate of controlled and registered sales is increasing day by day,” Alhat concluded…
