Turgay Türkyılmaz, Director General of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, stated that in the coming period, they aim to develop mussel farming and also achieve a strong position in global markets for sturgeon and caviar production by creating the 'Turkish caviar' brand.

Türkyılmaz said that the increase in Turkey's aquaculture production has strongly reflected in exports.

Türkyılmaz reminded that last year, aquaculture production reached 1 million 37 thousand tons, setting a Republic record. 627 thousand tons of the production came from aquaculture, and 410 thousand tons from fishing. The share of aquaculture in total production rose to 60 percent.

Türkyılmaz reported that 2.25 billion dollars in revenue was obtained from the export of 288 thousand tons of aquaculture products last year. Noting that the sector yielded a foreign trade surplus of 1.9 billion dollars, Türkyılmaz stated that exports reached 1.1 billion dollars in the first 6 months of this year, an increase of 13 percent. He added that at least 2.4 billion dollars in exports are targeted by the end of the year.

"We are writing a success story in Turkish salmon exports"

Türkyılmaz pointed out that gilthead sea bream, European sea bass, rainbow trout, Turkish salmon, and bluefin tuna form the backbone of exports, and that more than 80 percent of exported aquaculture products are from farming.

Türkyılmaz stated that exports are made from Turkey to more than 100 countries, and continued his remarks as follows:

"Gilthead sea bream and sea bass are in a strong position, especially in the European Union market. We are also writing one of the most important success stories of recent years in Turkish salmon exports. Far Eastern countries and the Russian market stand out in Turkish salmon exports. Turkish salmon production, which started with only 5 thousand tons in 2016, has reached 75 thousand tons as of today. Its share within our total annual exports of 2.25 billion dollars has risen to 500 million dollars."

Türkyılmaz explained that China is among the Far Eastern countries and that an agreement has been reached between China and Turkey within the scope of commercial cooperation, stating that China will also be prominent in the coming period.

Türkyılmaz stated that Turkic Republics are also among important markets, adding, "Our exporters and producers recognize no distant or nearby countries; they operate in various country groups from the United States to Canada." Türkyılmaz noted that they aim to increase export volume to 3 billion dollars by 2028. Emphasizing that the aquaculture sector has achieved significant successes in production, exports, and branding, Türkyılmaz cited Turkish salmon as the strongest example of this. He added that in the coming period, they aim to develop mussel farming and achieve a strong position in the global market for sturgeon and caviar production with the 'Turkish caviar' brand.

"We are minimizing the effects of climate change through production planning"

Türkyılmaz noted that environmental problems such as rising sea temperatures, climate change, the spread of invasive species, and mucilage negatively affect the sector, but they are striving to minimize these effects through production planning based on scientific data, effective inspections, sustainable fishing practices, and modern aquaculture techniques.

figure class="wp-block-image">Turgay Türkyılmaz: Turkish Caviar to Strengthen Position in Global Market