THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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“The Free Trade Agreement between UK and Turkey will be renegotiated within the next 2 years and we expect the agriculture industry to be added to the sectors covered by the Agreement”, said BCCT Chairman Chris Gaunt OBE during an interview on Bloomberg HT on August 12th, 2021.
During the interview, BCCT (British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey) Chairman Chris Gaunt provided answer s to Bloomberg HT’s questions about Turkey-UK trade relations and sustainability.
In his assessment of the expansion of the free trade agreement between the two countries, Gaunt said that bilateral trade with Turkey was around 19 billion pounds just before the COVID-19 outbreak.
“England is Turkey’s second largest export market.” Gaunt said, adding after the free trade agreement in the first half of the year, Turkey’s exports to England increased by approximately 47%.
Stating that the current free trade agreement will be renegotiated in the next two years, Gaunt announced that more sectors will be included in the revised agreement, enabling further momentum to bilateral trade. Gaunt added that one of these sectors would be the agriculture sector, and that one can also expect an expansion to the financial services sector.
Referring to the current travel restrictions between the two countries due to COVID-19, Gaunt said, “British citizens are uncomfortable not being able to come to Turkey. We all want Turkey to be removed from the red list.”
“Turkey is very lucky in terms of renewable energy resources”
The interview also addressed the topic of climate change and Environmental Social Sustainability (ESG). Pointing out that we are witnessing the impact of climate change in every field, Gaunt said that it is crucial that sustainable policies are made part of any business model.
Gaunt, in his evaluation of current sustainability efforts in Turkey, commented: “Turkey is making rapid progress in terms of sustainability, it is a very lucky in country in terms of renewable energy resources.”
