Aiming to export 100 billion dollars worth of tomato and tomato-derived products on the 1th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, the tomato industry was shocked by the ban on tomato exports.
The Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association reacted to the ban on tomatoes, the favorite export product of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, until 14 April 2023, upon the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, on the grounds of ensuring food supply security and ensuring food supply to the earthquake zone.
The Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association (EYMSİB) Board of Directors informed that fresh tomato is the leading product in Turkey's fresh vegetable export with an export amount of 2022 million dollars in 377, in a written statement, "The ban on tomato export will cause irreparable damage to both our exporters and our producers. . Our consumers may eat tomatoes relatively cheaply for 1,5 months, but our citizens may have to eat tomatoes for 100 liras a year.
If the mistake is not corrected, we will import tomatoes next year.
EYMSİB Board of Directors, who touched on the fact that after the ban on tomato export, the producer has entered a path where his labor cannot be compensated, said, “After this decision, the producers will be in a position to be unable to repay the loans they received from the banks. They will not be able to fulfill the obligations of their contract with the traders. They will not be able to produce next year. "If this wrong decision is persisted, we will have to import tomatoes next year," he said.
3,5 percent of exported tomato production
The following points were stated in the continuation of the statement, which included that Turkey is one of the largest tomato producers in the world with an annual tomato production of 14 million tons; “Turkey exported 2022 thousand tons of fresh tomatoes worth 526 million dollars in 377. The level of 3,5 percent of our exported fresh tomato production. We have enough production for both domestic market and export. Export is very valuable in terms of regulation duty in agricultural sectors. The ban will cause psychological pressure on the markets. In addition to tomatoes, the ban on onions and potatoes, the export products of our sector, and the quota application on frozen potatoes, frozen onions and tomato paste are also wrong. These wrong decisions must be reversed without delay.”
EYMSİB Board of Directors touched upon that exporting companies make annual contracts with their buyers; “Our exporters make production according to good agricultural practices with annual contracts in order to meet the demands of their buyers. They make analyzes that look at around 600-700 pesticides. They invest millions of dollars. One night, a ban that is far from the realities of the industry causes 14 million tons of production, hundreds of exporting companies and hundreds of thousands of producers' efforts to be wasted. Tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, frozen tomatoes, tomato sauces, ketchup and tomato juice brought our country 2021 million dollars in 729 and 2022 million dollars in 850. While the exports of tomatoes and tomato-derived products run to 1 billion dollars, tying their hands will cause great damage to this positive course. It will take many years to prevent this regression.”
Quota lost the Russian market, export ban will lose other markets
The EYMSİB Board of Directors, who said, “The ban and quotas on export always have negative consequences”, stated that the quota brought to the Russian Federation in tomato exports after the aircraft crisis caused great blood loss in exports to Russia, and that the fresh tomato export to Russia, which was 2021 million dollars in 68, was increased. It decreased to 2022 million dollars in 33, the decrease in fresh tomato exports to Russia in the first two months of 2023 continued, the export, which was 2022 million dollars in the January-February period of 14, remained at 11 million dollars, Turkey's blood loss in the Russian market Poland, Romania They stated that they closed their exports to Germany and the Netherlands by increasing, and that the ban decision on tomato export would harm the success of Turkish tomato exporters.
Poland, Romania, Germany and the Netherlands covered Russia's loss
While Turkey exported 2022 million dollars of fresh tomatoes to 53 countries in 377, it managed to increase its fresh tomato export by 2021 percent compared to 4.
The increase in tomato exports continued in 2023 as well. Turkey's tomato export, which was 2022 million dollars in the January-February period of 88, increased by 2023 percent from 44 million dollars to 88,3 million dollars in the same period of 127,4.
Losing blood in tomato exports to the Russian Federation, Turkey covered the blood loss in the Russian market by increasing its exports to Poland, Romania, Germany and the Netherlands.
Turkey, which exported 2022 million dollars of tomatoes to Poland in the January-February period of 8,6, increased its tomato exports to Poland to 2023 million dollars in the first two months of 167 with an increase of 23,1 percent. With this performance, Poland became the leader in tomato exports.
Turkey increased its tomato exports to Romania from 2023 million dollars to 54 million dollars with an increase of 13,5 percent in the two-month period of 20,8, while Romania became the second in the list of countries to which we exported the most tomatoes.
While Germany imported $2022 million worth of tomatoes from Turkey in the first two months of 7,9, it demanded $2023 million worth of Turkish tomatoes in the same period of 138 with an increase of 18 percent. Germany ranked third in the list of countries exporting tomatoes.
Tomato exports from Turkey to the Netherlands in January-February 2023 increased by 89 percent from $5,3 million to $10 million.