Dried Apricot Commission Meeting was held in Malatya Commodity Exchange.
The meeting was attended by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey Board of Directors Member and Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğu, Commodity Exchange President Ramazan Özcan, Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association Chairman Birol Celep, Board members, Agriculture Provincial Director Tahir Macit and manufacturers participated.
In his speech at the Dried Apricot Commission Meeting, Malatya Commodity Exchange President Ramazan Özcan said, “We need to talk about the apricot problem, which is the most important source of income in Malatya. May the crop of 2019 be good for our Malatya and our country. We have serious problems in determining prices. It would be great if we could meet at a place where everyone would be happy. If you state that you produce 85% of the dried apricots, you should set the price yourself and not leave it to others. We are at your service 24/7. In case of problems you are experiencing, make sure to get back to us immediately so that we can find a solution.”
Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğu, President of Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who said, “I believe that we are not in the place we deserve as Malatya,” said, “When we compare our trade volume with Gaziantep and other provinces in the 80s, while our commercial volume was the same, everything is clear at the point reached today. In the 1-year period we have come, we are working on infrastructure with the goal of a Malatya that competes with the region. Malatya never gets the share it deserves from apricots. In other words, since the export is made through İzmir in the tax system, Malatya cannot receive a share from taxation. We reported this to our President through Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. From now on, our government is working on the draft law that will allow the taxation of the products produced on the basis of provinces and the production in the cities. The tax contribution will belong to the city where it is produced. We know the problems in the past, I think that the mistakes made in the past should not prevent us from planning our future. Malatya deserves another chance," he said.
President Sadıkoğlu stated that they continue to work for Customs Brokers to come to Malatya and said, “We have been trying to do reasonable things since we came here. Our members here have been instrumental in our coming here. If you carry out ideas in the business and guide us, we can do the right things.”
Stating that they will use their legal rights, President Sadıkoğlu said, "We have sent an information letter to the Governorships, Municipalities and Provincial Directorates of Agriculture in 81 provinces in order to protect the rights of our members and producers regarding the trademark registration. I would like to emphasize that the necessity of using European Union registration logos while exporting is important in terms of increasing export figures. As Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we are aware that we will raise awareness by supporting you."
Noting that the added value of apricot should increase, President Sadıkoğlu said, "When we travel around the world, countries that transform their agricultural products into industrial products have a high level of earnings. We believe that Malatya deserves an integrated factory. It is necessary to pave the way for people who have been dealing with apricots in Turkey for years to come together and to buy various products of apricots by taking advantage of the incentives, by including us if necessary," he said.
Stating that a stock exchange that can be integrated with the world should be established as soon as possible, President Sadıkoğlu said, “We need to reach a structure where we can determine the price in the world when the board is opened, buyers can come to Malatya, and where we will determine the price of the apricot, whose standard we have set here. We must all put our hands under the stone. We need to promote the apricot in the best way possible, by making sure that it can be consumed in the domestic market, not as a product for which candy is given during the holidays, and that it is beneficial for children and raises awareness in terms of health. Whatever price is to be paid, we are involved in this business, jointly or alone. We need to create sponsorships in the series. We need to prevent the suffering of the manufacturer that has been going on for years. As long as we don't do anything, our farmer does not produce the apricot we sell for 50 cents, 1 dollar tomorrow, and because our farmer does not get the right of the work, the production of the apricot is stopped. We will be ruining our future just because we will earn 10 TL here today. We have to create solutions for our future by producing solutions," he said.