Sales of Turkish citrus soared in Saudi Arabia last year, up 39 per cent to 101m kg at a value of US$55.5m, according to the Turkish Citrus Promotion Group.
The announcement was made by group chairman Ali Kavak at a gala event in Jeddah to celebrate and promote the quality of Turkish citrus, Arab News reported.
'A major competitive advantage of Turkish citrus is its superior quality,' Kavak explained. 'Our main purpose is to carry out promotional activities in order to increase citrus consumption and improve consumer habits by introducing the nutritional and organoleptic superiority of Turkish citrus.'
The Middle East now represents Turkey's second largest regional export market after Russia and the CIS, while the country now represents 3.74 per cent of the world's total citrus production, Arab News added.
