23.08.2023 2023/2024 Season Dried Fig Sector Meeting Held at Aydın Commodity Exchange
In the meeting held at the Aydın Commodity Exchange Conference Hall, evaluations were made on the problems and issues requested by the members in the sector. At the meeting, where the steps to be taken to solve the problems were discussed, producers, merchants and exporters evaluated the current situation of the 2023/2024 fig season. The sector representatives who decided to act jointly on the solution of the problems on the agenda and the demands conveyed made consultations to carry out studies on the subjects.
Fevzi Çondur, chairman of Aydın Commodity Exchange, stated that at the dried fig sector meetings organized by Aydın Commodity Exchange every year and Aydın Commodity Echange adopted the mission of conveying the demands and suggestions from the members to the competent authorities and that it directs the studies that will increase the added value of the members' products and create a new market in solving the problems. Fevzi Çondur stated that we prepared after the sector meeting in last year, problems related to branding, e-commerce and warehousing were put on the agenda. Accordingly, our Commodity Exchange aims to ensure that you are informed about intellectual and industrial property, to easily access national and international legislation and all kinds of information and documents regarding patents, utility models and industrial property rights that will arise as a result of Research and Development activities to provide expert support when necessary. has put its trademark and patent consultancy office at your service.
Emphasizing that everyone contributed to the 2022/2023 export increase, Mehmet Ali Isık, Chairman of the Aegean Exporters' Associations Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, wished the sector meeting to be beneficial and added that when we look at the first 7 months of 2023, our dried fruit sector exports are almost at the same level as last year. It is seen that it is maintained at the level of 260 thousand tons in quantity and 822 million dollars in value. When we examine our seasonal Dried Fig exports, as of August 19, 2023 in the current 2022-23 season and there is seen that a 6% increase in quantity compared to the last season with 67.7 thousand tons, and a 1 percent increase in value basis with 242.2 million dollars. We export our dried figs, of which we are the world leader in production and export, to 120 different countries.
Mehmet Ali Isık expressed that we have decided to restart our UR-GE project which ended in 2022, in 2023, aimed at increasing production and the competitiveness of our products in international markets and we continue our work with companies that want to participate. Likewise, our Turquality projects in our target markets, especially the US market, continue for promotional purposes.
Aydın Provincial Deputy Director of Agriculture and Forestry, Ali Rüstem Sanlı, talked about the work carried out by the Aydın Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry to develop fig production. Mr. Sanlı said that in the last five years throughout the province within the scope of the projects carried out by our organization, approximately 53 thousand fig saplings were distributed; With the support of the Aegean Exporters' Association, 37,750 fig drying racks, 3,400 cover nets and 27,450 sour beetle traps were distributed. Fig fields throughout the year İt is controlled in terms of diseases, pests and phenology, also.
In the 2nd session of the 2023/2024 Season Dried Fig Sector Meeting, Aydın Adnan Menderes University Assistant Professor Member Aslı Zungur Bastıoğlu made her presentation on ADU Food Engineering Studies on Fig. Then, Ozener Trademark and Patent Consultancy Office Chairman Huriye Ozener Kayabası informed the participants about the Branding Process at Dried Incir.
