THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
Related Articles
Press release…
Export restriction on lemons abrogated…
During the pandemic, the export restriction on lemon, whose consumption soared and the kilogram price increased to 18 liras, has been removed with the decision published in the Official Gazette.
Hayrettin Uçak, Chairman of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters’ Association, reminded that with the decision published in the Official Gazette on April 7, the export of lemon is subject to the prior authorization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Uçak said, “This decision was valid until 31 August. However, the Ministry of Commerce abolished the pre-authorization requirement before the deadline. Lemon consumption surged due to the intense demand to meet the need for vitamin C, which strengthens immunity during the pandemic. So the prices suddenly rose. It was the product with the highest price increase of almost 50 percent in the markets in March. Our ministries took precautions with the principle of protecting both the producer and the consumer and made the export of lemon pre-permit. Later, prices returned to normal levels. This sensitivity shown in order not to lose the existing markets before the new season has been welcomed by all parties. In this way, our producer will get the reward of his labour.”
Mentioning that half of the 950 thousand tons of lemons produced in 2019 were exported, Uçak added that by sending 476 thousand tons of lemons to 66 countries, the figure reached 245 million dollars.
“In the first 7 months of 2020, we sent 150 thousand tons of lemons to 60 countries and realized 93 million dollars of export. We aim to capture the 330 million dollar export figure that we caught in 2018, this year. Meanwhile Russia with 31 million dollars, Iraq with 9 million dollars, Ukraine and Romania with 8 million dollars, Saudi Arabia with 7 million dollars are among the top 5 countries to which we exported in January-July period,” Uçak concluded…
