The restriction on the export of tomatoes until April 14, 2023 was introduced by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, reports the Nieuwe Oogst portal on March 6.
With this measure, the Turkish government hopes to suppress extreme price increases in the domestic market and ensure food security after the recent earthquakes. Agricultural analysts point out that this decision will have serious consequences for Turkish tomato growers.
Currently, the level of production is high, but the costs are also significant. Halting exports, industry experts say, could leave growers with insufficient margins for maintenance work or make the crop too expensive.
A similar pattern was observed in the Netherlands in December 2022. Fruit growers in the province of Limburg, among others, have left the last part of their apple crop hanging on the trees. In Belgium, around 15% of the apple crop was not harvested for the same reason.
Turkish tomato exporters are particularly concerned about the loss of valuable markets following the export ban. They fear that competing countries will take advantage of the situation. “They will see this export restriction as an opportunity”– he said in the sector.
However, according to some analysts, it will not be possible to offset the entire volume of Turkish imports with imports from other countries. In December, for example, Spanish growers had to deal with relatively high temperatures, which meant that vegetables grew faster than usual. This warm period was followed by a relatively cold January, which damaged the crop.
The consequences of this are visible, in particular, in the United Kingdom. The situation is now so difficult that the country has established a rule: only a limited amount of vegetables can be purchased per consumer.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.