Safranbolu saffron is Türkiye’s first EU-recognized spice

SAFRANBOLU

In a significant stride for Turkish agricultural exports, Safranbolu saffron has been officially recognized by the European Union (EU) with geographical indication status.

The move comes as part of Türkiye's efforts to bolster its presence in the global market and capitalize on its agricultural potential. The announcement was made during the fourth Istanbul Geographical Indications Summit, a collaborative initiative by Metro Türkiye, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

At the summit, Sinem Türüng, CEO of Metro Türkiye, emphasized the three-step approach of their "Geographical Indication Registered Products" project, focusing on supporting producers, providing assistance to the food and beverage sector, and raising awareness among the public.

"We assist in the export of geographical indication registered products to other Metro markets in the EU. We have exported geographical indication products worth 36 million euros ($39 million) from a pool of 40,000 registered items. With a total of 3,500 registered products in the EU, we estimate Türkiye’s potential to be between 2,500 to 3,000," Türüng said.

TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu celebrated Safranbolu saffron as Türkiye's first EU-recognized spice. "Safranbolu saffron becomes our 19th product to receive geographical indication accreditation from the EU. We continue our efforts with 45 ongoing geographical indication projects and five traditional product names in the EU process," said Hisarcıklıoğlu.