Fruit Logistica: Turkey: Partner country plans best-ever trade fair presentation

Turkey: Partner country plans best-ever trade fair presentation

Annual fruits and vegetable production: 44 million tonnes –
Turkey plans to export fresh produce worth $10 billion by 2023

Berlin, 19 October 2011 – As one of world's leaders in the fresh produce sector, Turkey is recognized across the globe for high-quality products, enormous production capacity and increasingly competitive trade structures. With an annual production of 44 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables, and exports valued at US$2.1 billion, Turkey has participated with a national pavilion at FRUIT LOGISTICA every year since 2000. The country exports 2.9 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables annually, accounting for 6.6% of total production. Turkey is aiming to export fresh produce worth US$10 billion by 2023 and next year's FRUIT LOGISTICA is expected to play a key role in achieving this ambitious goal. As the official partner country for FRUIT LOGISTICA 2012, Turkey is planning its best-ever trade fair presentation from 8-10 February next year at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The country's appearance at FRUIT LOGISTICA is being organised for the ninth time by the Mediterranean Exporter Unions.

More than 30 companies from the fresh produce and packaging sectors will be exhibiting on a total area of 1,000 square metres in the Turkish pavilion in Hall 1.1. The Turkish Citrus Promotion Group, the organisation responsible for coordinating international activities aimed at promoting worldwide sales of Turkish citrus fruits, will also be present at the event.

Germany is a key market for Turkey and FRUIT LOGISTICA is one of the most important trade events where Turkish produce companies can establish new contacts with industry representatives from around the world. The newest produce industry trends will be presented at the exhibition site in Berlin. The trade fair is also an opportunity for Turkey to introduce its products and services, and participate in discussions focusing on how to better meet constantly changing, and rapidly-growing consumer demands.


The fresh produce sector in Turkey

PRODUCTION

Turkey produces 44 million tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables annually. Most of the country's agricultural land is used for fresh products, which are grown in all regions practically all year round. Along with a tremendous diversity of fruit and vegetables, the Turkish fresh produce industry is characterised by the volume of total production. Key products include grapes, pome and stone fruits, and citrus fruit.

A wide variety of grapes top the list of fresh fruit production, accounting for a 37% share. In this group, table grapes are the product with the highest commercial value.

Turkey is the world's leading producer and exporter of fresh figs. The leading varieties in terms of production and export for consumption as fresh fruit include the Bursa Siyahı grown in the Bursa province and the Mut Figs from the Mut region.

Accounting for 22% of total production, pome fruit is the second most important type of fruit grown in Turkey. Apples top the list of products with an average annual production volume of 2.6 million tonnes. Up until recently, quince, which have been cultivated in the region since ancient times, were produced exclusively for domestic markets. Today, Turkish quinces are exported to meet the growing international demand for exotic fruits.

Although citrus fruits rank only third in Turkish fresh fruit production, they are one of the country's traditional export commodities. Annual citrus fruit production in Turkey totals around 3.5 million tonnes. Key products include oranges, with an annual harvest of more than 1.7 million tonnes. The varieties Navelina, Navel, Valencia and Shamouti are grown in Turkey. A new early variety known as "Fukumoto" is now being grown for export purposes near the cities of Mersin and Adana.

Turkey is the country where Interdonato lemons are commonly grown, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This early variety accounts for most of the citrus fruit exported from Turkey. The other important lemon variety is Lamas, which requires special environmental conditions and is found only in a limited area of the Mediterranean region west of Mersin near Erdemli and Silifke. This high-quality early variety is second only to the Interdonato lemon. This fruit is ideal for storage and transport since it can be kept for a long time in natural product stores in central Anatolia. Turkey grows 787,000 tonnes of lemons annually and exports around 311,000 tonnes.

Accounting for 13% of total production, stone fruit ranks fourth in Turkey. This product group includes apricots, peaches, plums and cherries (sweet and sour). Turkey is the world's leading cherry producer with annual production of 418,000 tonnes. Turkey is famous the world over for the local "Napoleon (Ziraat 0900)" variety. Turkish cherries are known for their high quality. The season normally begins with the "Sapı Kısa" variety grown in the region around İzmir (Kemalpaşa), followed by "Napoleon (Ziraat 0900)" cherries harvested in the regions around Afyon, Burdur, Isparta and Salihli in June and July. Along with cherries for fresh consumption, there is a growing demand for the "Starks Gold 0900" variety, which is well suited for processing.

Pomegranates are systematically grown in the Mediterranean region, near the Aegean Sea and in the south-eastern regions of Anatolia. Annual production totalling 209,000 tonnes is primarily grown near Finike, Kener, Antalya, İzmir and Mersin. There are several varieties of pomegranate produced to meet different requirements in terms of fruit size, colour and thickness of the peel, as well as colour, softness and juiciness of the seeds. Major importing countries include Germany, Austria, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and Denmark. While the sweeter pomegranate varieties are preferred in the Arab countries, consumers in Europe like the red-skinned, sweet-sour varieties. "Hicaz" is the most popular export variety.

Turkey ranks third in world chestnut production with an annual harvest of 63,000 tonnes. Nearly 75% of the chestnuts produced in Turkey come from the Aegean region (Aydin). As hard-shell fruits grown in a natural environment without artificial fertilisers, chestnuts are regarded as organic products. Most of the chestnuts produced in Turkey are used for confectionery products or exported as fresh fruit. Turkish chestnuts enjoy a high market appeal because of their light brown colour and large, round shape.

Along with fruit, some 30 million tonnes of vegetables are produced annually in Turkey. Fruiting vegetables lead the way with annual production of 21 million tonnes. At the top of the list are tomatoes (10 million tonnes), followed by potatoes, watermelons and other melon varieties, onions and cucumbers.

With an annual harvest of 1.739 million tonnes, Turkey is the world's second largest producer of cucumbers. These green vegetables are grown in the Mediterranean region both outdoors and in traditional greenhouses. The crunchy Turkish cucumber with its juicy pulp and delicious flavour is ideal for salads – and very popular in consumers' kitchens.

Turkey is the world's third-largest producer of tomatoes with an annual harvest of 10 million tonnes. The country also has a highly developed tomato processing industry. Most of the tomatoes produced in Turkey are grown in the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions. These tomatoes are produced for fresh consumption as well as for industrial processing (tomato paste and canned tomatoes). The Marmara and Aegean regions are specialised in this sector. Table tomatoes, including the early (spring/summer) as well as late (autumn/winter) varieties, are grown in both open and closed agricultural systems.

Turkey also holds third place for the production of sweet peppers with an annual harvest of 1,985 million tonnes. Sweet peppers are grown in Turkey outdoors as well as in greenhouses. In addition to supplying the domestic market, in the past few years, Turkish peppers have been exported to countries in Central and Northern Europe. Turkey ranks fourth place in global pepper exports. Sweet peppers are generally grown in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Antalya, Bursa, Mersin, Hatay and Samsun. Most sweet pepper varieties exported by Turkey are grown from optimised F1 seeds. Other varieties are also produced. The main varieties are classified as Charleston, large red bell peppers, Sivri peppers, Dolma peppers and long peppers.

Melons also play an important role in Turkish vegetable production and are the leading greenhouse products.

Along with the products already mentioned, many types of vegetables are grown in greenhouses and available throughout the year. Some of the most important vegetable varieties cultivated in greenhouses include tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, melons, aubergines, green beans, pumpkins and many others.

The demand for organic products has created new export opportunities for Turkey. Thanks to its enormous production potential, Turkey has in recent years started to export significant quantities of organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

EXPORT

Turkey exports the largest share of its fresh fruit and vegetables to countries in the Russian Federation. This market is valued at US$789 million and accounts for an estimated 36% of the total fresh produce exported from Turkey. Germany is the second largest export market with a 9% market share. Turkey exports fresh fruit and vegetables worth US$203 million to Germany. Other key export markets for Turkey include Bulgaria, Ukraine, Iraq and Romania.

The volume of fresh fruit exports in 2010 totalled 1.8 million tonnes (US$1.4 billion). Citrus fruits topped the list with a substantial 67% share in 2010. The Russian Federation, Ukraine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Germany are the main export markets for Turkish citrus fruit. Citrus fruit exports to Russia in 2010 totalled US$276 million.

Measured by value, lemons are the most frequently exported citrus fruit (US$311 million). Thanks to both natural and modern cold storage, Turkish lemons are available throughout the year. The main export varieties are Interdonato and llamas lemons. The lemon exports to the Russian Federation are valued at US$84 million. Mandarins, clementines and satsumas rank in second place (by value) on the citrus fruit export list (US$214 million). The Russian Federation is the main export market with exports from Turkey totalling US$111 million. Grape exports are estimated at US$206 million. Table grape varieties include the popular "Sultana", which accounts for the largest share of total fruit exports.

The export of sweet cherries from Turkey started only a few years ago and the volume has increased remarkably since then. Turkish sweet cherries are rapidly gaining popularity among buyers thanks to their high quality appearance and delicious taste. Cherry exports from Turkey amounted to US$150 million. Germany, the largest foreign market for Turkish cherries, accounted for US$52 of total cherry exports.

Exotic fruits from Turkey, particularly figs, quinces and pomegranates, are rapidly becoming more familiar to foreign importers. As a result of efforts in Turkey to increase exports, fresh fruit products are now shipped to more than 50 countries across the globe. Turkish exporters have also started to expand their market share in the CIS countries.

Turkey exported 1,046,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables in 2010. Tomatoes account for a significant 55% share of the export total with a value of US$483 million. Other key export products in the fresh vegetable segment include cucumbers, sweet peppers and onions. The Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Ukraine, Poland and the Netherlands are the leading destinations for Turkish vegetables.

Turkish exporters of fresh fruit and vegetables are aware of consumer demands in respect to health and environmental awareness. They meet customer needs by offering products that meet legal requirements as well as market demands. A number of tools, including ISO 9001, ISO 22000, HACCP, GAP and GLOBALGAP, offer powerful arguments when it comes to quality, food safety and environmental awareness. Turkish exporters are successfully implementing these standards, resulting in a significant impact on the international fresh produce trade.

THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY IN TURKEY

Turkey produces a full range of packaging materials and products to the fresh produce sector. These include modified atmosphere packaging, cardboard edge protectors, paper, cardboard, wrapping film, adhesive tape, stretch film, shrink wrap, raschel nets, nets, tube nets, weldable nets, fruit and vegetable trays, dried fruit trays, salad bowls, trays, plastic, glass, metal and wood.

Companies in the packaging sector demonstrate excellent performance when it comes to quality and production capacity. Some 3,000 companies in Turkey produce packaging materials. The packaging industry is primarily located in İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Ankara, Konya, Kocaeli, Gaziantep, Adana, Kayseri and Manisa.

In terms of quality, the Turkish packaging sector meets global standards. A rapidly growing number of companies are certified according to ISO 9000, ISO 14001 and ISO 22000 quality standards. Turkish packaging manufacturers follow the latest international and national developments in environmental safety and comply with environmental guidelines and directives. All packaging waste, including packaging manufactured or imported by Turkey is regulated by the "Directive for the Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste". New laws are currently being developed to control food manufacturing and regulate items used in food preparation. These supplemental legislative improvements are aimed at achieving compliance with EU directives. Research and development, especially as it applies to new products, has continued to gain in importance in the industry. This reflects an effort in Turkey to become more competitive on an international level.

Exports from the Turkish packaging industry are on an upward swing. The value of packaging products exported in 1990 totalled US$50 million. This figure reached nearly US$2.5 billion in 2010. A substantial amount of packaging used for export products is exported indirectly. This significant increase in export value is clearly a result of recent upgrades and technological improvements. Germany is the leading export market for packaging from Turkey with a total value of US$216 million. The United Kingdom, France and Iraq are also important markets for the Turkish packaging industry.


For further information about Turkey, the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2012 partner country:

Mediterranean Exporter Unions
Project R&D Organization Department Chief
Ms Bayrak Sultan
Tel. +90 3243253737
E-mail: sultanbayrak@akib.org.tr