Turkish confectionery market reaches $3.1 bln

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish citizens living in the northwestern Marmara region consume 45 percent of the country’s sweets and chocolates.

The Turkish confectionery market grew 10 percent and recorded an annual sales figure of $3.1 billion in the past few years.

One-third of confectionary consumption takes place during the religious Şeker Bayram and Feast of the Sacrifice holidays. During these periods, per capita consumption reaches 1 kilogram of sweets and chocolate in Turkey.

With growing interest from foreign brands, Turkish confectionery exports grew rapidly in the past five years.

Turkey’s exports of sweets and chocolate reached $2 billion in 2011. Moreover, Turkey has started to export to world-famous chocolate producers like Belgium and Austria.

$2.5 billion confection export target for 2012

The chairman of the Turkish Confectionary and Sweets Promotion Group, Zekeriya Mete, told Anatolia news agency, “The industry’s export target for 2012 is $2.5 billion. We export our products mainly to EU countries, North Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., Turkic republics, the Middle East and the Far East.”
Some 45 percent of all the sweets and chocolates consumed in Turkey are in the Marmara region including Istanbul. The further east one goes, the less sweets are consumed, according to Mete.
Mete also said that the biggest problem facing the sector is still unlicensed production.