Turkish Poultry Promotion Group helps the exporters to reach new markets where they use their potential ideally by analyzing the needs and expectations of the poultry sector; enlightens the way of Turkish exporters for being a prominent sector consisting of the companies providing world class products and operating with determination and efficiency by always taking sides with Turkish exporters for the goals of 2023 and by providing them with correct and creative solutions for the problems they may encounter in the current market. Following is an interview with Mujdat Sezer, Chairman of Turkish Poultry Promotion Group, Deputy chairman of Istanbul Exporters’ Association:
As the poultry promotion group what do you do for the industry in world markets?
The main purpose of our group is to improve the perception of Turkish poultry sector and performance in poultry industry both in Turkey and abroad. Our mission is to show the world that poultry products in Turkey are produced up to the world standards and to strengthen the sustainable power of the industry with its structure, know-how and technology. Within this context, Turkish Poultry Promotion Group participates several organizations worldwide, carry out projects abroad and hosts some events in Turkey.
Can you inform us about the capacity and quality of poultry businesses in Turkey?
Technological achievements and skilled staff led to higher production quality and advanced veterinary services made it possible to meet the best health standards. With its production power, technology and advanced processes, poultry companies in Turkey are able to compete in the world both in production volumes and quality. Poultry industry in Turkey is among the top ten countries in the world with its production capacity of 2 million tons of white meat and 15 billions of eggs.
Which steps does your group take to reach the targeted exports of 5 billion dollars in 2023 from its present level of one billion dollar?
Turkish poultry sector is growing rapidly and we believe that the 5 Billion USD target for 2023 will be met even earlier. Last year, we faced some problems in our export markets as the ongoing political instability hit the region at its hardest. It was true that we saw a decline in total exports recently but are trying to take lessons from it and use it as an opportunity to expand our market reach by adding new countries our export list. Besides we try to level up the unit value of our exports . Earlier we were selling unprocessed whole chicken to most countries but now processed products, such as sausages, graded parts of poultry are high in demand. With the increasing unit value of Turkish poultry products and addition of new export markets, it will be easy to reach our targets in the upcoming years.
What can be said about production of white meat in Turkey in modern facilities?
Technical infrastructure of the production facilities in Turkey are far better than their rivals including the USA and the Europe. Since the facilities in Europe are outdated today, I can easily say that we are ahead of the competition there. From the beginning of the 90’s, Turkish poultry industry implemented latest technology and modern processes. We can say proudly that the world’s freshest, the most hygienic, and the healthiest poultry products are produced in Turkey.
What do Turkish producers do for Halal Food segment that is growing fast in the world?
Since the Islam is the biggest religion in Turkey , halal food regulations are very strict and also it is highly important to secure the hygiene and human health. Halal food does not only means slaughtering manually and flowing of blood, there are many peculiarities for religious prerequisites. It starts by valuing animal health at the highest level and after following Islamic procedures during slaughtering, ends with creating a secure cold chain system.
What kind of support and advantages can your organization offer to member companies?
All companies that work with foreign markets are our members, no matter their export volumes are. We regularly share data and other figures about world markets. We inform them about the changes in competitor markets as well as big rival companies. By carrying Turkish Poultry to fairs and exhibitions held all around the world, we help them take part in most important events. We try to improve awareness about future export markets and help them work their way into them.
Fairs that you participate in Turkey and in abroad?
We almost participate or visit every event especially in our region. Iraq, Dubai, Moscow, Saudi Arabia are important markets so we don’t miss the opportunity to take part. In addition, we participate organizations in Europe and Japan, considering the future possibilities.
What are the problems of the industry and your proposals for their solutions?
I can say that we have two main problems affecting our industry in large scale First we depend on imported feeds and some other inputs for production. This and additional custom taxes increase our costs of production. Second, we have been subject to some political barriers in Europe and other countries like China and Japan. They try to limit our activities in their markets. We have been working in collaboration with Turkish authorities to solve our problems in EU countries and China, keeping in mind that entering that markets will boost our exports and enhance the perception over Turkish brands.
