The Turkish seafood business earned near $974 million in exports within the first half of the yr, marking a 4% enhance in comparison with the identical interval final yr, in keeping with a report on Sunday.
The sector beforehand reached a document by growing its exports from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $2.02 billion in 2024, in keeping with information compiled by the Aegean Fishery and Animal Products Exporters’ Association and reported by Anadolu Agency (AA).
In the primary half of this yr, the Turkish seafood sector bought 132,500 tons of merchandise to 78 nations.
Accordingly, seafood exports rose from $934.12 million within the January-June interval final yr to $973.82 million this yr, marking a 4% enhance.
The sector generated probably the most export income from seabass, totaling $302.96 million, adopted by gilt-head bream at $273.7 million and Turkish salmon at $217.1 million.
Turkish salmon stood out by growing its exports by 17% in comparison with the earlier yr, making it the fastest-growing export merchandise within the nation.
Russia was the highest vacation spot for Turkish seafood merchandise, adopted by Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and the U.Okay.
With a optimistic momentum, the Turkish seafood sector goals to set a brand new document by surpassing $2 billion in exports by the tip of the yr.
Sinan Kızıltan, the chairperson of Türkiye’s sector board for Aquatic and Animal Products Exporters’ Associations, said that exports within the sector are progressing positively.
He described Mediterranean fish among the many tastiest on this planet and added: “With three sides of the country surrounded by seas, we are leveraging this advantage to support exports.”
“Although the total tonnage of our exports has decreased, the unit price of our exports has increased by about 20%. Therefore, our export revenue has risen,” he stated.
“We had set a goal of around $1 billion for the first six months and came very close. We expect a similar performance in the second half of the year. We foresee that our members will exceed $2 billion in total seafood exports across Türkiye,” he advised.
Kızıltan stated seafood costs are rising globally, primarily as a result of opponents have both maintained steady manufacturing or skilled decreases.
He emphasised that Türkiye has gained a bonus resulting from decreased provide in Europe and highlighted the essential position of the help supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Turkish salmon position
Kızıltan said that the Black Sea’s contribution to the nation’s seafood exports is growing quickly and highlighted the importance of salmon export development.
He said that 32,000 tons of Turkish salmon have been produced within the first half of the yr.
“We expect all of these fish and the frozen products to be sold by the end of the year. We anticipate this will generate about $500 to $600 million in export revenue for producers in the Black Sea region,” he defined.
“What we call Turkish salmon is a type of trout. There are broad market opportunities here. As the fish is increasingly processed and filleted, we expect to reach many new markets.”
“With investments especially in the Black Sea region, we project that by 2032, or by 2035 at the latest, Turkish salmon will generate over $1 billion in export revenue for Türkiye,” he concluded.
Source: www.dailysabah.com