Ministry to back promotion of Turkish tea, salmon

TRABZON

The Trade Ministry has announced that it will provide support to promote Turkish salmon and tea within the scope of the "Turquality Support" project.

According to a statement from the Eastern Black Sea Exporters Association (DKİB), the projects prepared by DKİB for the promotion of Turkish salmon and tea have been endorsed by the ministry.

The projects aim to increase the export of Turkish tea and salmon and promote them in potential markets abroad. Activities such as media campaigns, social media engagement, influencer marketing, tasting events, and participation in fairs will be organized to achieve this goal.

Saffet Kalyoncu, the chairman of the association, emphasized the importance of these promotional activities, especially in diversifying markets for Turkish salmon. He highlighted that the approval from the Trade Ministry ensures the continuation of these activities for four years, focusing initially on distant markets such as China, Japan, the U.S., and Canada.

Regarding the Turkish tea promotion project, Kalyoncu noted that despite being among the finest teas globally, Turkish tea lacks recognition in international markets. He mentioned plans to create awareness through promotional activities targeting European countries, Turkish republics, the Russian Federation, and Middle Eastern countries to boost exports.

Kalyoncu also mentioned the intention to consult with industries for the development of new projects in line with current trends after the initiation of this year's projects.

While, Iran produced nearly 194,000 tons of salmon, over 1 million tons were produced in 77 countries, the FAO’s report stated in 2022.

The report revealed that production in Türkiye exceeded 190,000 tons in 2022, as nearly 50 million of them were consumed in the domestic market.

Most of the production was made in the eastern province of Elazığ, the southwestern province of Muğla and the Black Sea province of Samsun. This increase in production was also reflected in the export figures.

In 2022, a total of 69,380 tons of salmon were exported from Türkiye, generating a revenue of $451 million.

According to data from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the most essential species in salmon farming is rainbow trout.

Most was exported to Russia and EU member states.

Producing 16 percent of the world’s salmon, Türkiye was among the top four countries in the salmon export ranking in the last seven years.