Press release…
Davut Er, Chairman of Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters’ Association (EZZİB), stated that he would like to reveal their performance in the first half of 2020.
Davut Er said that in January – June period of 2020, they signed an export of 141 million dollars as the Turkish olive industry.
Er said, “Although our exports in the first half of the year decreased by 10 percent compared to the same period of 2019, we demonstrated a more successful performance in June.”
Pointing out that in June, they achieved a foreign exchange return of 19 million 60 thousand dollars with a 21 percent increase in exports, Er noted, “Although the export figures of our sector seem small compared to many industrial sectors, I would like to leave to your discretion the high added value of our exports, almost all of which are made with domestic inputs.”
Er also explained, “We need to have continuity in order to be a player that dominates the olive and olive oil sector. The way to achieve this is through efficiency in production. While Spain produces over 1.5 million tons of olive oil per year with the population of 330 million olive trees, it is required further explanation that Turkey can get only 200 thousand tons of olive oil in average from 180 million trees. As the public and private sector, we need to take steps to rise efficiency in the olive sector.”
“If we take these steps, we find the formula to increase our export of boxed olive oil, which is at the level of 21 thousand tons per year. Otherwise we can not go beyond being a world’s stockholder, while in the have years of Turkey’s olive oil.
Considering the Turkey’s olive and olive oil exports in the leading markets currently, our top 5 countries in table olive exports Germany, Iraq, Romania, the US and Bulgaria respectively. As for olive oil exports the US, Saudi Arabia and Japan were among the most important markets,” Er added.
“As a country, the way that we could have more say in the world olive and olive oil trade and ensure continuity in exports is through the increase in production. With our existence of trees, 150 million of which are fruitful, 30 million of which have not yet yielded and a total of 180 million trees, we will gradually make our power felt in world trade in the coming years, insofar as the global climate change permits along with gradually gaining efficiency,” Er concluded…