Impression and report of the Soft Fruit Mission to Turkiye
A business delegation of seven Dutch companies joined our Soft Fruit Mission to Turkiye in September 2022. Field visits and networking opportunities with local companies, stakeholders and investors were at the core of a week long program that took us from Istanbul to Bursa to Antalya.
Starting Monday 12 September a networking event took place in Istanbul organized jointly with Eureko Sigorta. Turkish growers, investors and other stakeholders from different parts of Turkiye discussed and met with the seven Dutch companies. Soft fruit is a quickly developing sector in Turkiye. The exchange of best practices, knowledge and technology were at the heart of discussions. Many business cards were exchanged!
Tuesday 13 and Wednesday morning 14 September were spent visiting growers and meeting companies in Bursa and surroundings. These producers and cooperatives provided insight in how smaller enterprises manage to earn a living by producing for the local market. Valuable insights from Dutch participants, ranging from soil fertility, plant varieties, consultancy, irrigation and fertilizer management were taken on board and could help further development in the future.
After travelling to Antalya, the last leg of the mission on Thursday consisted of field visits to some very professional growers in the region, a successful B2B event with Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Exporters Union and a closing reception for Dutch agricultural companies active in the Antalya region. Exchanging best practices and experiences of doing business in Turkiye proved to be very useful for the trade delegation.
In conclusion, there are many initiatives and interested parties that are willing to produce in the soft fruit sector or are willing to invest. However, an approach that includes multiple areas of knowledge, education and technology is needed to create the best quality product in necessary volumes. Dutch companies can provide this and are looking forward to cooperate!
