İsmail Yılmaz, Chairperson of the Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters’ Association, said, “We will achieve 130 million dollars worth of exports at the end of the year. If we have a 3 percent share in the European market, our flower exports might reach 500 million dollars.”
Carnation was the most demanded flower in the cut flower sector…
The sector aims to export 500 million dollars…
The cut flower sectoral analysis meeting was held online by Antalya Commodity Exchange, under the moderation of Professor Dr. Soner Kazaz, Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture Lecturer.
During the meeting Yılmaz stated that the sector was adversely affected in the first 2-3 months during the new type of coronavirus process, but then satisfactory figures have been reached in the following processes.
Explaining that they realized 107 million dollars of exports last year, Yılmaz said;
“The flower industry is in a serious breakthrough in 2021. We exported 81 million dollars of cut flowers in the first 4 months. Actually we had set the target of 115 million dollars in cut flower exports for the end of the year, but with this performance, we will achieve 130 million dollars of exports at the end of the year. If we have a 3 percent share in the European market, our flower exports will reach 500 million dollars.”
Yılmaz also stated that they have requested the establishment of a department of ornamental plants within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Carnation is the leading flower…
Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Lecturer Professor Dr. Soner Kazaz emphasized that ornamental plants are produced on an area of 54 thousand decares in Turkey and cut flowers constitute 12 thousand decares.
Explaining that cut flowers are produced on an area of approximately 4,500 decares in Antalya, Kazaz said, “While carnations are produced on an area of 4,350 decares in Turkey, 2,700 decares of this are in Antalya. Turkey exported 36.7 million dollars of cut flowers last year. And cloves accounted for 34 million dollars of this. When you think of flowers, carnations come to mind. Carnations make up 95 percent of our exports.”
Kazaz reported that 32.3 million dollars of clove exports of 34 million dollars were sent to the Netherlands, England, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.
Antalya Commodity Exchange Chairman Ali Çandır noted that serious export figures have been reached in the sector in recent years. Indicating that they organized such a meeting to evaluate the problems of the sector, “Productive results would be achieved,” Çandır added.
Antalya Agriculture and Forestry Provincial Director Gökhan Karaca cited that when cut flowers are mentioned, Antalya province comes to mind. Emphasizing that the stakeholders of the sector who can act together have a strong production potential, “We are working to solve the problems of the sector, especially the transportation to the land,” Karaca concluded…