The Turkish fishery and animal products sector, the only sector to meet its 2023 export goals, is actively seeking new markets to achieve its target of $5 billion in exports. As part of its efforts to find new markets, the shining star of exports, the Turkish fishery and animal products sector, has set its sights on the African market, particularly Kenya, aiming to reach a new market worth $100 million in Africa.
The Aegean Fishery and Animal Products Exporters’ Association, the leader in fishery and animal products exports in Turkey, aims to explore the African market with the UR-GE project called “Aegean Fishery and Animal Products.” They participated in the Kenyan Food Event Fair, which took place from September 5th to 7th, 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, to promote and conduct tasting events for Turkish fishery and animal products to increase their consumption in East Africa.
Sinan Kızıltan, the Chairman of the Sector Board of the Turkish Fishery and Animal Products Exporters’ Associations, stated that they began promotional activities for the African market by participating in the 5th International SIEMA Food, Beverage, Hotel, and Restaurant Equipment Fair held in Casablanca, Morocco in September 2022. He also mentioned that their participation in the Kenyan Food Event Fair marked the second phase of promotional activities for the African market, and they observed significant sympathy for Turkey and Turkish products in Kenya.
Highlighting the significant advantages for Turkish exporters due to Turkish Airlines’ extensive global network, Kızıltan emphasized, “Our exporters have great ease in reaching export markets and marketing their products, and they can also deliver their products with Turkish Cargo. We believe that this will enable us to establish a strong position in Africa as well. Kenya is considered the economic, trade, and logistics center of East Africa. Besides Kenya, it stands out as a gateway to markets such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. Moreover, being a member of not only the domestic market but also the East African Community Market and the East and Southern Africa Common Market with a potential reach of approximately 250 million consumers.”
Kızıltan also mentioned that they visited major supermarkets in Nairobi a day before the Kenyan Food Event Fair and had a productive visit to the Nairobi Chamber of Commerce to further enhance commercial relations with Kenya.