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Press release…
Stating that one of the most important problems in fresh fruit and vegetable exports is pesticide residue, Cengiz Balık, Vice Chair of Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, said, “Recently, this issue has started to create a serious agenda. The Turquality Project was launched to improve the perception of Turkish products in foreign markets. However, it is not correct to show every returned lorry as the main problem in exports. This situation stems from the legislation of the country and is not an issue that can be solved only through exports.”
“Because only 10 percent of the fruits and vegetables produced in the country are exported, while the remaining 90 percent is consumed in the domestic market. If we try to solve the residue problem only in terms of exports, we will not be successful. We need to solve this problem in the production area. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has stated that it has taken serious measures in this regard and will launch comprehensive studies in the coming period. In addition, this is not only an export issue, Turkish people also deserve to consume healthy and residue-free products. Therefore, we need to raise awareness in the society and consumers need to question the products they buy from the market. I believe that this problem will be solved faster if consumers become aware of it,” he explained.
Returned products are not placed on the domestic market…
Emphasizing that the news that the fresh fruit and vegetable products returned from exports are put on the domestic market without being analysed does not reflect the truth, Cengiz Balık continued as follows: “There is a false perception that the returned products are easily sold in the domestic market. However, exports are made within the framework of certain rules. The products sent to the European Union are first analysed at the Kapıkule border gate. The first analysis is carried out at the Bulgarian border and if non-conformity is detected, the product is sent back to Türkiye. It takes at least 20 days for the products that do not pass the analysis to return to the country. The product entering Türkiye is then subjected to the import regime. It is re-analysed according to the legislation in the country and if non-conformity is detected here, the product is desposed. If the product is found to be suitable, the exporter can withdraw it, but at the end of the 25-day period, the product loses its commercial value as its shelf life has expired. For this reason, the allegations that contaminated products are being placed on the market in Türkiye do not reflect the truth.”
‘In order to solve the problem radically, inspections should be tightened at the production stage.’
Underlining that they have been carrying out a project called ‘We Know the Pesticides We Use’ since 2021 in order to prevent residue formation in fresh fruit and vegetable products in Aydın, İzmir, Manisa and Muğla provinces where fresh fruit and vegetable production is intense, he added, “We have taken samples in 11 products including strawberries, grape leaves, peaches, cherries, pomegranates, lemons, grapes, mandarins, tomatoes, peppers and gherkins. Furthermore we take approximately 600 samples per year within the scope of this project, which varies according to the products and that we have analyses performed in accredited laboratories and that we share the results of the analyses with members, producers and stakeholder institutions.”
