THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
Hayrettin Uçak, Chairman of the Turkish Fruit and Vegetable Products Exporters Associations Sector Board, stated that in order for the fresh fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable sectors to fully realize their export potential, the quotas and customs duties hindering them should be eased or lifted through bilateral negotiations with the relevant countries.
Uçak, who presented a comprehensive report containing the sector’s demands to the Minister of Trade, Professor Dr. Ömer Bolat, requested support regarding regulations that will increase the exports of the fresh fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable sectors.
Uçak, requesting the reinstatement of support for processed products in the report, which summarizes the problems of the Turkish fresh fruits, vegetables and products sector, states: “We have the production capacity and infrastructure to ramp up our fresh fruits, vegetables and products exports, currently at 6.3 billion dollars to 10 billion dollars in a short time. I expressed to our Minister of Trade, Professor Dr. Ömer Bolat, that we need his support in this 10 billion dollars export journey, specifically regarding the removal of quotas and the reduction of customs duties in export markets.”
Support for processed products should be reinstated…
Uçak also emphasized the strategic importance of value-added production and exports for the Turkish economy, indicating that reintroducing existing support for the sector or implementing a different support mechanism would enhance its competitiveness. “We request that the DFIF (Supports and Fund) support for processed products be reinstated on a packaged product basis to increase the competitiveness of our value-added production companies in international markets,” he said.
EU quota for dried tomatoes limits sector growth…
Pointing out that the 8,900-tonnes quota imposed by the European Union on dried tomato imports is hindering the sector’s growth, he noted, “Despite Türkiye’s strong position in the global dried tomato trade, the current quota is insufficient.”
“We are one of the world’s most important producers and exporters of dried tomatoes. The European Union is our largest market. While in previous years we filled the 8,900-tonnes quota in 5-6 months, today we reach this quota amount in January. In 2025, we achieved 189 million dollars in dried tomato exports. We are second in the world after Italy. We have requested support from our Minister for the removal of the quota imposed by the European Union or for it to be raised to at least 40,000 tonnes,” he said.
