Ban reaction from exporters: ‘Tomato can reach 100 liras a year’
The Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters’ Association (EYMSİB) reacted to the ban on tomato exports. “Our consumers can eat tomatoes relatively cheaply for 1.5 months, but our citizens may have to eat tomatoes for 100 liras a year,” the statement said.
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.
‘CITIZENS CAN EAT TOMATOES FOR 100 LIRA EVERY YEAR’
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 377 million dollars in 2022, 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 WRONG IS NOT CANCELED, WE 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.” used the phrases.
‘TOMATOES EXPORTED, 3.5 PERCENT OF PRODUCTION’
In the continuation of the statement, it was stated that Turkey is one of the largest tomato producers in the world with an annual tomato production of 14 million tons:
“Turkey exported 526 thousand tons of fresh tomatoes worth 377 million dollars in 2022. The fresh tomatoes we export are at the level of 3.5 percent of our 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.”
‘HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MANUFACTURERS’ WORK WILL BE LOST’
Pointing out that exporting companies make annual contracts with their buyers, EYMSİB Board of Directors said, “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, tomato juice, brought 729 million dollars in 2021 and 850 million dollars in 2022 to our country. 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,” he said.
‘KOTA LOSE THE RUSSIA MARKET, EXPORT PROHIBITION 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 68 million dollars in 2021, was increased. It decreased to 33 million dollars in 2022, the decrease in fresh tomato exports to Russia in the first two months of 2023 continued, the export, which was 14 million dollars in the January-February period of 2022, remained at 11 million dollars, Turkey’s blood loss in the Russian market Poland, Romania He stated that they closed their exports to Germany and the Netherlands by increasing, and that the ban on tomato exports would undermine the success of Turkish tomato exporters.
