Melisa Tokgöz Mutlu, Chairwoman of the Istanbul Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters’ Association, said in a statement that they achieved very important successes despite all the troublesome conditions brought by the epidemic last year.
Stating that in 2020, fresh fruit and vegetable exports reached 2.7 billion dollars with an increase of 20.8 percent compared to the previous year and said that they were the second sector with the highest increase in exports among all sectors.
Indicating that the fruit and vegetable products sector increased its exports by 8.8 percent to 1.7 billion dollars, Mutlu said, “The third sector that achieved the highest increase in exports was fruit and vegetable products.”
“The epidemic once again demonstrated how important the agriculture and food sectors are and that the global contraction did not affect the food sector much,” Mutlu noted.
Expressing that the fresh fruit and vegetable along with fruit and vegetable products sectors were not affected much by the epidemic, Mutlu explained, “Reliable and sustainable products came to the fore in this process and the importance of not cheap but sustainable suppliers was once again understood.”
“Our exporters managed to turn the epidemic into an opportunity in a short time.”
Pointing out that Turkey has managed to provide a rapid change and transformation faster than most of its competitors in the world, Mutlu added, “As the finished goods sector, we process and pack fruits and vegetables in our factories equipped with the highest technology, with high hygienic conditions and continue to offer them to the world’s consumption without interruption.”
“Our exporters managed to turn the epidemic into an opportunity in a short time with our sustainable exports. The strategic location of our country, the early measures taken during the epidemic process and the rapid decisions taken by the ministries in meeting the demands of the producers and exporters have enabled us to overcome the process easily and well,” Mutlu concluded…