Turkey: Chilean food producers looking for business partners in Turkey
Atalay told Today's Zaman that the South American country has set Turkey as a trade destination, with Chilean imports to Turkey having seen a considerable increase in the last two years thanks to reductions in customs duties as per a free trade agreement signed between the two countries in 2011.Chile has identified Turkey as a strategic market in which to promote exports, positioning itself as a leading supplier of some food products. In 2012, 74 percent of the fresh apples imported by Turkey were of Chilean origin, Atalay said.
Turkish companies from İstanbul, Ankara, Gaziantep, Adana and Antalya met with their Chilean counterparts. Ankara and Gaziantep firms were particularly interested in meeting dried prune, walnut and blueberry producers.Business connections were chiefly made in the seafood and walnut sectors, with the signing of agreements slated for the end of 2013. Atalay noted that almost all of the companies represented by the delegation made concrete connections with Turkish companies after a total of 250 meetings. These companies expect to begin exporting to Turkey in early 2014.Atalay said the talks were successful in terms establishing relationships for future trade and that the Chilean firms had expressed their satisfaction, stating that there had been greater interest than they had expected. “Chilean companies believe in long-term trade relations, and one of the strongest messages that was intended to be delivered at this meeting was faith in long-term cooperation.”Chilean exports to Turkey totaled $462 million in 2012, an increase of 55 percent over the $298 million in exports in 2010. Food exports to Turkey totaled $40.7 million in 2012, ranking the country 39th on the Chilean list of destinations for food exports. Walnuts alone were responsible for more than half of this figure at $22.6 million.
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