Turkish exports of fruit and vegetables to Russia took a tumble at the end of 2014, falling by 20 per cent in November and December at a loss of US$55m, according to West Mediterranean Exporters' Union's president Mustafa Satıcı.
Turkish news site Today's Zaman reported that the two countries were planning to hold a meeting in Antalya, Turkey, next month in order to look at ways to resuscitate exports.
One strategy is to base trade on the lira and rouble, both of which have declined against the dollar, as opposed to the currently robust US dollar. According to Satıcı, this devaluation was largely responsible for the slowdown in exports at the end of last year.
Nevertheless, 2014 remained a positive year for Turkish exporters. Satıcı revealed that the provinces of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur exported US$1.64m in fruit and vegetables last year, an increase of 6.1 per cent from the previous year, with tomatoes and grapes topping the list.
