Spices that grow in Anatolian lands and add flavor to the tables earn Turkey 250 million dollars in foreign currency annually. Aegean spice exporters, who set a target of 1 billion dollars in spice exports, hosted the General Assembly of the European Spice Association (ESA), one of the most important organizations that steer the 20 billion dollars spice industry, in Turkey.
The 2022 Ordinary General Assembly and Annual Meeting of the European Spice Union was held in Bodrum on October 5-8, under the organization of Aegean Exporters' Associations.
For the first time after the pandemic, 40 business people from nearly 200 countries attended the general assembly, which was held with the motto "It's spice it up again".
Speaking at the opening of the ESA General Assembly, Ege Furniture Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association Vice Chairman of the Board Nurettin Tarakçıoğlu stated that the spice family has not been able to come together for 3 years due to the pandemic, and that they are extremely happy to have held the long-awaited meeting in Turkey.
Noting that the ESA General Assembly will be an event where the spice family will first advance their friendship and then their business volume, Tarakçıoğlu said, “We hosted the 2010 Ordinary General Assembly of the European Spice Association (ESA) as Aegean Exporters' Associations. Our spice export, which was 100 million dollars at that time, has reached the level of 250 million dollars today. With the contribution of the commercial connections to be established after this organization, we aim to increase our spice exports to 10 billion dollars at the end of 1 years.”
Emphasizing that Europe has a 30 percent share in Turkey's spice export, Tarakçıoğlu said that there are not only European spice companies in ESA, but that there is a very wide member profile from America to India, from South Africa to England, and that this structure enriches the spice trade. conveyed.
Making evaluations after the general assembly, Tarakçıoğlu said, “We have experienced and seen for 3 days how dynamic the ever-growing world spice market is. Of course, we have production, marketing, logistics problems. We made a joint decision to solve them. It was a productive meeting. We also had the opportunity to reaffirm Turkey's strong position in the spice industry. We provided our companies with the opportunity to develop their portfolios through bilateral meetings” and summarized the success of the European Spice Union General Assembly.
Featured topics food safety and sustainability
Sharing that Turkey is a producer of many spices from laurel to sage, from thyme to linden, from poppy seeds to allspice, Aegean Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds and Products Exporters' Association President Muhammet Öztürk noted that the spice industry met with great excitement since the General Assembly of the European Spices Union was held 3 years later. .
Emphasizing that the prominent topics in ESA are food safety and sustainability, Öztürk said, “Global warming threatens the world. The Green Deal targets put forward by the European Union are considered important by every sector. Sustainability from farm to fork is our priority in the spice industry. If we are successful in this regard, we will reach our export targets by producing healthy spices and exporting them with added value, and everyone in this value chain will be rewarded for their efforts.”
Sharing the information that 62 percent of Turkey's spice exports are from the Aegean Region, Öztürk continued as follows: “In the January-August period of 2022, our country's spice exports reached 132 million dollars. In the same period, 82 million dollars of spice exports were made from the Aegean Region. While Turkey's average unit price per kg is $1,38, the Aegean Region's average unit price per kilogram is $3,15. There is almost 2 and a half times the difference. In the January-August period of 2022, the top 5 countries in Turkey-wide spice exports are; USA with 16 million dollars, Germany with 14 million dollars, China with 11 million dollars, Belgium with 9 million dollars, the Netherlands with 3,7 million dollars and France with 3,6 million dollars.”
Within the scope of the 2022 Ordinary General Assembly meeting of the European Spice Association (ESA);
In addition to the General Assembly sessions and product reports presentations, developments in the world and agendas for the sector were discussed. prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş made a presentation on current economic developments. At the Gala Dinner, Ayhan Sicimoğlu gave the guests an unforgettable night with his orchestra.
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