Agriculture exports near $5 billion in four months

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Agricultural and food exports “put a smile on people’s faces” despite low seasonal production levels, the head of the head of the Turkish Chambers of Agriculture Union (TZOB) Şemsi Bayraktar said yesterday.

Exports in these industries soared nearly 11 percent to nearly $5 billion in the January-April period this year, from $4.5 billion in the same period last year, Bayraktar said in a written statement.

Food and agricultural imports were down by 15.3 percent to about $3.3 billion from nearly $4 billion in the same compared period, he said, citing the Turkish Statistical Institute’s April report on foreign trade.

In terms of export categories in the food and agriculture industries, industrial food residues recorded the highest exports with 132.8 percent in the first four months of the year. As for imports, “edible fruit and nuts, peel of melons or citrus fruit” recorded the highest increase by nearly 132.9 percent, followed by cereals with 122.7 percent.

The highest decrease was in meat and edible offals, with about 82 percent to $52.7 million, while exports in this category rose by 40 percent, a spectacular development, according to Bayraktar.

Livestock exports rose by 20.6 percent, while imports were stable with a mere 0.04 percent decrease, he said.

“But still, in first four months of the year exports are at $2.77 million, versus $273.2 million in imports in this category.”