THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Aromatic Plants and Spice Producers Association (ABÜDER) President Aydın Acun announced that imported spice products cannot be produced in Türkiye due to climatic conditions and that almost all of the spices that the climatic conditions allow are already produced.
“For example, cumin. Turkish cumin is categorised as a quality product in the world and we are successful in its production. In this respect, we need to support the production of products with commercial value in our country more. Our geography is very suitable in this regard. Cumin and other aromatic plants can be produced in areas that are not used as agricultural areas in the inner Aegean, Central Anatolia, Black Sea and Mediterranean regions,” Acun said.
Emphasising that the spice and aromatic plants sector makes a significant contribution to Türkiye’s economy, Acun explained, “The spice and aromatic plants sector contributed 60 billion liras to our economy last year, both in the domestic and foreign markets. Our country’s geography is very suitable for the production of many aromatic plants. We have a spice sector that can be brought to a much wider economic dimension, starting from agricultural production to sales, up to the last stage. It shows a potential that can be developed beyond the domestic market.”
Highlighting that the USA has been the country’s first market in spice exports for a very long time, Acun added, “Germany comes second. Germany is an important market for Türkiye due to its own potential and ethnic population. China follows them. Especially bay leaf and thyme are our two locomotive products in exports. Türkiye is also an important country in the Chinese market for these products. These countries are followed by the European Union countries and the United Kingdom. We export Turkish spices and aromatic plants to 156 countries in 5 continents.”
