Ban reaction of exporters: “Tomato can reach 100 lira a year”

The Aegean Association of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters reacted to the ban on tomatoes, the favorite export product of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, until April 14, 2023, at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, with the argument of guaranteeing food security of supply and guaranteeing the supply of food to the earthquake zone.

‘CITIZENS CAN EAT TOMATOES FOR 100 LIRA EVERY YEAR’

The Board of Directors of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (EYMSİB) informed that fresh tomato is the leading fresh vegetable export product from Turkey with an export amount of 377 million USD in 2022, in a written statement, “The tomato export ban will cause irreparable damage to both our exporters and our growers. Our consumers can eat tomatoes at a relatively low price for a month and a half, but our citizens may have to eat tomatoes for 100 lira year.

‘IF IT IS NOT BADLY CANCELED, WE WILL IMPORT TOMATOES NEXT YEAR’

The Board of Directors of EYMSİB, who referred to the fact that after the tomato export ban, the producer has entered a path in which his work cannot be compensated, said: “After this decision, the producers they will be in a position to not be able to pay the loans they received from the banks. They will not be able to fulfill the obligations of their contract with the merchants. They will not be able to produce next year. If this wrong decision persists, we will have to import tomatoes next year.” used his statements.

‘EXPORTED TOMATOES, 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 both for the domestic market and for export. Export is very valuable in terms of regulatory rights in the 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 application of quotas to frozen potatoes, frozen onions and tomato paste are also wrong. These wrong decisions must be reversed without delay.”

‘THE JOB OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MANUFACTURERS WILL BE LOST’

Noting that exporting companies make annual contracts with their buyers, the EYMSİB Board of Directors said: “Our exporters make production according to good agricultural practices with annual contracts to meet the demands of their buyers. They do tests that test for about 600-700 pesticides. They invest millions of dollars. One night, a ban far removed from the realities of the industry wastes 14 million tons of production, hundreds of exporting companies and hundreds of thousands of producer efforts. Tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, dried tomatoes, peeled tomatoes, tomato puree, frozen tomatoes, tomato sauces, ketchup and tomato juice brought our country 729 million dollars in 2021 and 850 million dollars in 2022. Although exports of tomatoes and tomato products run to a billion dollars, tying their hands will do great damage to this positive course. It will take many years to avoid this regression,” he said.

‘KOTA LOSES RUSSIA MARKET, EXPORT BAN WILL LOSE OTHER MARKETS’

The Board of Directors of EYMSİB, who said: “The ban and export quotas always have negative consequences”, stated that the quota brought to the Russian Federation in tomato exports after the plane crisis caused great blood loss in exports to Russia, and that the export of fresh tomato to Russia increased, which was 68 million dollars in 2021. It decreased to 33 million dollars in 2022, the decrease in fresh tomato exports to Russia continued in the first two months of 2023, the export continued, which was 14 million dollars in the period January-February 2022, it remained at 11 million dollars, the blood loss of Turkey in the Russian market Poland, Romania He affirmed that they closed their exports to Germany and the Netherlands as they increased, and that a ban on tomato exports would undermine the success of Turkish tomato exporters.