The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) recently released a report on the possible impact of the future liberalisation of agricultural trade between the EU and Turkey.
According to the research conducted, liberalisation will have a greater effect on Turkey itself than on EU countries. However, the EU fruit and vegetable sector will be the sector affected most by the free entry of Turkish products. Turkey’s F&V sector accounts for 40% of the value of its total agricultural production and 75% of the country’s exports to the EU.
The report also reveals that the F&V sector represents 12% of Turkey’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs about 33% of the active population. Based on these figures, the free entry of fruit and vegetables into the EU from Turkey could have a negative impact on local agriculture, because it will mainly benefit the export sector, while a large proportion of the country’s traditional agriculture will become vulnerable.
Although Turkey is the principal producer worldwide of fruits such as melons, cherries, apricots and figs, the vegetable sector has shown higher growth than the fruit industry over the last 10 years, particularly in tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplants.
The study concludes that the modernisation of Turkey’s agricultural production sector will only be successful if suitable economic policies are applied.
