According to the data of the Aegean Exporters' Association, exports of aquatic products increased by 5.5 percent in terms of quantity in the 9 months of the year and reached 216 thousand 465 tons. The industry's average export price per kilogram also increased from $7.57 to $8.35.
The sector, which exported 1 billion 552 million 236 thousand dollars in the January-September period of last year, achieved foreign sales of 1 billion 807 million 942 thousand dollars with an increase of 16.5 percent in the same period of this year.
Thanks to aquaculture concentrated in Izmir and Muğla, Aegean exporters, which make approximately 68 percent of the country's aquaculture exports, reached foreign sales of 1 billion 221 million 915 thousand dollars.
When looked at on the basis of product groups, sea bass maintained its first place with export revenue of 596 million 594 thousand dollars. While the amount of sea bream exports was 454 million 494 thousand dollars, 431 million 167 thousand dollars were obtained from the export of Turkish salmon, whose cultivation is rapidly spreading in the Black Sea and inland waters. In the same period, trout exports were recorded as 102 million 613 thousand dollars and tuna exports as 56 million 982 thousand dollars.
"There is a huge increase in fillet sales all over the world"
Sinan Kızıltan, Chairman of the Turkish Aquaculture and Animal Products Exporters' Association Sector Board, told the AA correspondent that Türkiye has risen to an important position in the world aquaculture market and ranks first in production in Europe.
Stating that the production consists mainly of Mediterranean species such as sea bream and sea bass, as well as Turkish salmon grown in the Black Sea and trout in inland waters, Kızıltan stated that the momentum achieved in exports strengthened the year-end expectations.
Kızıltan said, "Our target for the end of the year is 2.3-2.5 billion dollars. We currently export to 95 countries. We mainly export to difficult countries such as the European Union and America. You can find Turkish fish on the market shelves there. This is a fish that stands out with its taste, quality and nutritional values." he said.
Pointing out that consumer preferences are changing around the world and the demand for products that provide ease of preparation at home has increased, Kızıltan said:
"There is a huge increase in fillet sales all over the world. When fillet is a fish, there is no problem with bones and it is cooked faster. Therefore, our export of processed fillet products increases by 15-20 percent every year. Here, we offer a competitive product to the world. Because our teams are now experts in fish cleaning. It is a product that needs to be made very quickly. It is a product that needs to be loaded onto a truck within 24 hours from the moment it comes out of the sea. Therefore, there is a very specialized and clustered group here, about 100 thousand families in this regard. He's making a living."
Kızıltan stated that the sector has become an exporter by getting rid of foreign dependency in machinery and equipment production.
"Branding was achieved in packaged products"
Mehmet Şahin Çakan, President of İzmir Fishing Businessmen Association, also stated that competition in the global market is now shaped through processed and packaged products.
Stating that consumers are turning to practical kitchen solutions, Çakan said, "People no longer deal with cleaning fish, they look at ready-made products. Turkey has also turned to this field as a sector. Branding has been achieved in processed, packaged and packaged products." he said.
