Maintaining confidence in a flourishing domestic market, which has recently enjoyed a remarkable increase in demand, representatives of the dried fruit and nut industry believe there is potential in new export markets. Companies and producers agree that effective promotion and increased product quality helped them survive the crisis last year and that these will be the major driving forces behind this industry being successful in new export markets this year.
“Thanks to increased promotions, the popularity of dried fruits and nuts is increasing in the market and so is the demand. Encouraged by this fact, companies have accelerated efforts to branch out into some alternative export markets,” Hasan Hüseyin Karapınar, the head of the Turkish Dried Fruit and Nut Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TÜKSİAD), tells Today’s Zaman. Recalling that Turkish dried fruit and nut producers mostly export their products to European Union countries, which he identifies as “ethno-marketing hubs” with a relatively higher Turkish immigrant population, Karapınar says the sector has recently begun to reach out to new export markets, including Turkic republics in Central Asia and countries in the Middle East. The TÜKSİAD head says the sector makes some $500 million in exports annually and has the ability to double this number in the coming years. Karapınar also adds Africa and China to the list of regions where Turkish dried fruit and nut exporters should begin to market their goods. Karapınar says Turkey is relatively successful in dried fruit and nut exports thanks to popular products such as hazelnuts, dried apricots and figs.
Faruk Sungurlu, the marketing manager of Malatya Pazarı, one of the leading Turkish dried fruit and nut companies, says they expect to establish franchises in Russia, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon before the end of this year. “We ended 2009 with 15 percent growth over the preceding year. Thanks to increasing demand in the market, we expect to see some 25 percent growth this year compared to 2009.” Sungurlu notes that the highest increase is seen in the sale of sunflower seeds.
Kani Emekçi, the manager of Papağan Kuruyemiş, another leading company in the sector, says they export goods to some 10 countries and expect to establish sales particularly in Central Asia and the Middle East, drawing attention to “similar food habits” in these regions. “We currently sell products to the Iraqi and Turkmen markets in these two regions,” Emekçi says, adding that they expect to begin exporting goods to other nearby countries soon. The company also plans to increase its sales to the US and the EU, the sector’s traditional export markets. Papağan grew by around 30 percent in 2009 over 2008 and expects an even higher growth figure this year.
Pointing to a “promising” Russian market, Tahsin Ateş, the owner of Ateşler Kuruyemiş in Mersin, says the Turkish dried fruit and nut industry should take advantage of the “huge demand” from this nearby country. We have a production facility in Ukraine that helps us reach Russian customers easily, Ateş says, adding that sunflower seeds make up the largest share of the sector’s exports to Russia. Mentioning a “transformation” in the industry, Ateş says the sector places more importance on the quality of products as they increase research and development (R&D) investments. “I believe that Turkish dried fruit and nut exporters will have their voices heard in more countries thanks to these efforts.”
