Press release…
Mehmet Ali Işık: Grape production decreased!
Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters’ Association (EKMMİB) Chairman Mehmet Ali Işık said that if there is a surplus crop, they need to manage the stock together.
“It should be kept as safety stock. We need to offer consumers a more stable product. Because, for instance, the US is a producer country, we can sell very little product. When grapes are scarce, their prices go up a lot. This affects consumers negatively and grape consumption decreases. We can send our stocks to them and producer co-operatives can market the stocks themselves. Our main goal should be to reduce grape consumption during price fluctuations,” he said.
“The United Nations (UN) provides a lot of aid and when there is a surplus, we need to introduce grapes to countries that do not consume grapes through the UN. Our grape production has fallen. There was a decline despite the fact that we handed over a serious stock from last year. However, we benefited from the high yield. If we ramp up grape production and manage it with our stock, we will create a more balanced producer mass,” he added.
Supply-demand balance should be established…
Emphasizing that the supply-demand balance should be established, he explained, “Grape consumption should be increased worldwide and for this, joint efforts should be made as producer countries. Another effect of the climate crisis is that rainfall is irregular and brings plant diseases. Biological and biotechnical struggles are important. If we help each other with our techniques, we can ensure regular consumption of grapes.”
“We felt the benefits of acting together with our 33 thousand farmers in the region along with universities and institutes in the fight against pesticides,” he concluded…