According to the Turkish Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters Association, Türkiye’s flower industry is in great health, rapidly growing its production, exports and horticulturally skilled workers.
The Turkish Ornamental Plants & Products Exporters association was founded in 1999 to support its 500+ Turkish ornamental plants sector members.
The Turkish flower industry utilises 5,248 hectares in production and exports indoor and outdoor plants, cuttings, cut flowers, wreaths and mosses to 79 countries worldwide, including the Netherlands, Uzbekistan, the UK, Germany and Azerbaijan.
The climate and its geographical proximity to its export markets create the ideal conditions for ornamental plant production and cut flowers.
Add to the equation its modern greenhouses and abundance of skilled labour, and it’s easy to see why Türkiye has such a buoyant horticultural industry and is still growing.
Around 55 per cent of this area is used to raise nursery stock outdoor and indoor plants, with the rest made up of 35 per cent of cut flowers and ten young plants, seeds and flower bulbs.
The market has diversified. Before growers sold their plants to local municipalities, the public authorities have less money to spend, and efforts are better employed in developing the huge potential in export markets. It is no secret that the Coronovirus pandemic caused a significant surge in demand for houseplants, garden plants, and all things green and fuelled the exports of Turkish grown ornamentals.
TOP EXPORT MARKETS
Netherlands
Uzbekistan
Germany
The United Kingdom,
Azerbaijan
Turkmenistan
Important employer
The ornamental plants industry in Türkiye plays an important role supplying high added value and employment. In Türkiye, approximately 25,000 people are directly employed in ornamental plants export. And when you factor in the domestic market, then more than 300.000 people are indirectly employed in the industry. The ornamental plants industry is playing an important role in providing more cohesion to the social structure in the country, through employment of unskilled workers, and by providing them with accommodation and education opportunities.
The major production areas in Türkiye are İzmir, Sakarya, Antalya, Yalova, Bursa, Edirne, Mersin and Adana. Outdoor plants are produced in Sakarya, Yalova, İzmir and around the İstanbul region. Cut flowers are produced in different provinces like Antalya, İzmir and Isparta.
TOP EXPORTED ORNAMENTALS
• Standard carnation
• Spray carnation
• Gerbera
• Dianthus barbatus
• Ranunculus
• Cut foliage
• Wreaths
• Indoor plants
• Outdoor plants
Export orientated
The ornamental plants industry in Türkiye is another rapidly developing sector in both production and export. Ornamental plant exports from Türkiye began 30 years ago, and the sector has grown steadily since then.
For cut flowers, 50 per cent of Türkiye’s production is export-oriented, whereas for outdoor plants it’s ten per cent. The share of exports for both groups has been increasing in recent years. Exports increased to $148 million (USD) in 2021. The outlook for 2022 is rosy, with the Turkish Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters Association expecting to reach the $190 million (USD) mark by the end of this year.
In Türkiye, the ornamental plants sector still has enormous growth potential, and this applies to all three sub-sectors; cut flowers, outdoor and indoor plants.
Türkiye has logistical advantages in the sector. Air and road transport are commonly used in exports. Road transport is cheap, and it takes a short time to reach main destinations in Europe like the Netherlands, UK and Germany.
REASONS WHY IMPORTERS PREFER TURKISH FLOWERS
• Leading producers and suppliers
• Year-round production
• Proximity to major import markets and logistic advantages
• Top product quality thanks to best geographic conditions
• Strong potential for growth in the industry
• High production capacity with competitive prices
• Favourable climate conditions for production
Bright future
“In five to ten years we expect that our nurseries will continue to produce high quality products with a wider range of varieties and will be competitive at export markets. This will increase exports for living plants,” says Ismail Yilmaz, Chairman of the Board of Turkish Ornamental Plants Exporters.
He says, “We will continue our promotional activities and implement new projects to reach this target. We aim to improve our exports by entering new markets. We are working in cooperation with the global players in our industry. We represent our sector in Union Fleurs and AIPH, which are important international associations in the sector. We also make promotional activities in the domestic market, to improve industry and increase consumption. We expect our exports to increase steadily and reach to 250 million dollars in the years to come.”
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