Ornamental Plant Growers Association (SUSBIR) is the most prominent growers association in Turkey in floriculture and the president of SUSBIR Ahmet Dundar has informed the press about the current problems that the growers have been facing.
Ahmet Dundar: “Economic stagnation has indirectly hurt growers as well. A lot of municipalities which order significant amounts from growers have cut back their orders in order to save money. Many growers were caught off-guard and were left with a lot of unsold products. This is the current situation for all ornamental plant, outdoor plant and cut flower growers.
Municipalities were one of the driving forces which contributed to the development of floriculture industry in the last decade but this recent development was unforeseen. As a result of the oversupply, the prices went down however we believe that this problem is only for this season. Next season, all growers will revise their production schedules accordingly and match supply with the demand to prevent any drop in prices.
We have also started exploring alternative markets both in domestic and in export markets. Domestically, we need to utilize retail channels much better. In export markets, we are trying to bring buyers from abroad to Turkey. Our growers also need to grow products that are in demand and competitive in global markets in terms of price and quality.
We are also trying to set up an online SUSBIR shop where we will bring Turkish growers and international buyers together to increase exports. We will try to add as many buyers as possible from Europe, Middle East and Turkic countries so they can place their orders and purchase our products with ease.”
Source: Malatya Guncel