THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
Related Articles
Press release…
The total exports of Mardin, the southeastern province of Türkiye, which ranked second after Gaziantep region with a share of 8 percent in the total exports of 3 billion dollars in the first quarter of Southeastern Anatolia, was 250.6 million dollars in the first 3 months.
In the cereals, pulses, oil seeds and products sector, which is the export leader of the region, Mardin’s exports surged by 2.2 percent compared to the first quarter of last year and amounted to 113 million dollars. This data corresponded to 45 percent of Mardin’s total exports.
Mardin province, which stands out as one of the most important sources of employment and livelihood as agriculture and agriculture-based industry, continued to contribute not only to the exports of the region but also to the exports of cereals throughout the country thanks to its production power in this field. Milling products ranked first in grain exports from Mardin with 64.2 million dollars. In the 3-month period, cereals exported were 30.5 million dollars, pastry products 9.8 million dollars, vegetable oils 5.2 million dollars, pulses 1.6 million dollars.
In this period, exports to Iraq, which ranked first in Mardin’s cereal sector exports, amounted to 96 million dollars, Syria ranked second with 10.3 million dollars and Egypt ranked third with 1.2 million dollars.
“More than 75 percent of foreign trade to Iraq”
Celal Kadooğlu, Chair of the Southeastern Anatolia Cereals, Pulses, Oil Seeds and Products Exporters’ Association, emphasised the importance of trade with Iraq for the economy of Mardin, which has a population of approximately 1 million.
Pointing out that Mardin, which carries out more than 75 percent of its foreign trade with Iraq, exports of cereals to this country in the first quarter of the year reached 96 million dollars and total exports reached 190 million dollars, Kadooğlu said, “The highest exports were concentrated in the milling product group; mainly wheat flour, corn, rye and barley flours and by-products such as pasta, semolina and bran. In Mardin, where our sector products stand out in industry and exports, the problems experienced in the Iraqi market, especially in Kızıltepe, have critical effects not only in terms of trade but also in sociological and demographic terms.”
“In terms of the sustainability of exports, it is of great importance to keep bilateral relations and commercial connections strong as well as product quality. For this purpose, we paid a visit to Iraq last year with an intensive three-day programme of domestic and international contacts. The main objective of the programme was to resolve the customs duties imposed by Iraq and the structural and operational problems at the border gates. We shared the demands and expectations of our regional industrialists with our interlocutors in detail and evaluated the solution proposals,” he noted.
“We drew attention especially to the import bans and the disruptions in the transfer of export prices from Iraq. We are in constant consultation with our relevant public administrators in the country for the solution of these problems,” he added…
