Turkey’s cut flower exports rise 50 percent compared to last year

ANTALYA

Antalya, Turkey’s greenhouse cut flower production base, continues to export flowers all over the world.

So far this year, 650 million branches of flowers cut and bundled by women from greenhouses were exported to 27 countries in Europe.

The cut flower industry, which provided $135 million of foreign currency inflow so far this year, achieved a 50 percent growth compared to the previous year.

Taking advantage of Spain and Italy’s inability to plant flowers due to the pandemic, the sector sends flowers to 27 countries in Europe, especially the Netherlands, Germany and England, with cargo planes and trucks.

The red carnation is the most popular item, with the beautiful flower making up 90 percent of the total exports.

Rabia Yıldıran, an agricultural engineer of a company that produces and exports flowers, said that 30 women work in the process of cutting the flowers and then packing them to be sold.

The sector expects to end the year with revenues totaling $150 million.

“The summer season ended and we have started winter season exports. Christmas is coming. As the producers, we are very happy this year. Our production capacity rose 30 percent,” said Harun Yeter, the head of the Ornamental Plants Exporters Society.

“Because production could not reach desired levels in Europe, Turkey has climbed up to the top rank among supplier countries,” he told Demirören News Agency.

Turkey exported $107 million worth of flowers to 83 countries in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters Union, which embodies the export of cut flowers, indoor and outdoor plants, flower bulbs, and wreaths.

According to Turkish Statistical Institute data, cut flowers and ornamental plants sector’s production had reached to 1.7 billion pieces in 2019.