Turkey to export to Russia

Turkish dairy producers aim to begin exporting milk products to Russia by next month, according to Milk Producers and Exporters Union (ASÜD) president Harun Çallı, speaking at a press conference. Turkey has been aiming to enter the Russian market for four years, according to Çallı, and a Russian delegation has been involved in talks with Turkish producers regarding export agreements.

Russia has begun to look elsewhere for its food imports after it banned imports from the European Union, the US and other Western countries. However, Turkish milk products will not dominate the Russian market as Çallı says Turkish producers are only prepared to meet five per cent of Russian demands. Emphasizing that the amount of milk consumed in Turkey is much lower than in developed countries, Çallı says the main goal of the sector is to increase domestic consumption. While the US and Canada consume 100 kilograms of milk annually per capita, Turkey only consumes 37 kilograms per person per year, Çallı notes.