Türkiye increases exports of fruits, vegetables to Russia

Exports of fruits and vegetables from Türkiye to Russia reached $258.4 million in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 60 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

The growth of indicators was the result of Ankara’s balanced position against the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Anadolu reports with reference to the data of the Turkish Institute of Statistics (TÜİK).

The fact of building relations between the two countries on the basis of their own interests also played a role.

The total volume of Turkish exports to the Russian Federation in the first quarter of this year increased by 132.9 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year

The agricultural sector plays one of the leading roles in trade between the two countries. The export of Turkish agricultural products to the Russian Federation is 18 per cent of the total export to this country.

The export of tobacco increased the most during the period under review (by 271.4 per cent). This is followed by fruits and vegetables (265 per cent), olives (231.5 per cent), cereals, legumes, and oilseeds (161.4 per cent).

Mehmet Ali Ünal, Chairman of the Turkish Association of Agricultural Engineers, in an interview with AA, stressed the importance of trade relations between Türkiye and the Russian Federation. According to him, the fact that countries buy the products they need from each other brings benefits to many sectors of the economy. He noted that this primarily concerns agriculture.

“Russia is a priority market for our manufacturers. In this context, the Russian market is very important for the Turkish agricultural sector. This is the leading country to which we export agricultural products, primarily fresh fruits, dried fruits and vegetables. I believe that our export to Russia will increase step by step. This will have a positive impact on the agricultural industry,” he said.

Ahmet Hamdi Gürdogan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Union of Exporters of the Eastern Black Sea Region of Türkiye (DKİB), believes that the observed growth in Turkish exports to Russia will continue.

“The Eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye is a leader in exports to Russia, primarily of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and fish products. Along with this, exports include other goods such as building materials,” he said.

Gurdogan also stressed the great importance of the Russian market for Türkiye.

“However, we should not focus only on Russia, we need to target both the Turkic republics and the Asian market as a whole. I emphasize that the share of high-tech products in this market may increase in the future,” he said.

According to him, in January-April of this year, products from 22 industries worth $86,189,000 were exported from Trabzon, Türkiye, to Russia. Gyurdogan said that fresh vegetables and fruits, aqua products, chemicals, and hazelnuts took the leading places on the list. He added that in January-April 2022, goods worth $3 billion 200 million were exported from Türkiye to Russia.

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