Antalya, a city located in southern Turkey, has started to export blueberries to Hong Kong.
Antalya Directorate of Provincial Agriculture and Forestry’s assistant manager Gokhan Karaca said that projects are ongoing in order to increase product varieties in Antalya. Emphasising that blueberry production has increased in the city in a relatively short time, Karaca said: “Blueberry is a popular fruit around the world; therefore, it has a high export value. Blueberries have antioxidant properties. They can grow in pots; they don’t necessarily need large fields and Antalya offers a favourable climate for this fruit.”
Pointing to the support provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Karaca said that subsidies are given to producers for cold storages and packaging facilities. One company that grows blueberries in pots benefited from this support and was able to export its products, Karaca added.
Last year, Turkey exported 67.7 tons of blueberries to Germany, Sweden, Norway, Dubai and Qatar, said Karaca and he continued: “We aim to increase the production in the city, and we work towards this goal. This year, we added Hong Kong in our markets. With new investments we aim to boost our exports.”
Source: Milliyet
