Last year, 20 thousand tons of sausage production was carried out in Afyonkarahisar.
Afyonkarahisar is at the top of sausage production
Last year, 20 thousand tons of sausage was produced in Afyonkarahisar.
Stating that the city, which is also exported to the Far East and Middle East countries, ranks first in Turkey in sausage production, Agriculture and Forestry Provincial Director İbrahim Acar said, “We are number one in sausage production in Turkey. According to official figures, our production in 2020 is around 20 thousand tons, and with these figures, it is in production. We are the first province,” he said.
In Afyonkarahisar, which has an important place in the production and export of sausage in Turkey, there are 70 enterprises that process meat and meat products. Afyonkarahisar, which ranks fourth after Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa, is at the top of the list in terms of production and export. Last year, 20 thousand tons of sausage was produced in Afyonkarahisar, where exports are made to the Far East and Middle East countries.
‘WE ARE THE FIRST CITY IN PRODUCTION’
Indicating that Afyonkarahisar is one of the cities that come to mind when it comes to sucuk in Turkey, Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Director İbrahim Acar said, “I even want to speak a little more assertively. We are number one in sausage in Turkey. According to official figures, our production in 2020 is around 20 thousand tons and this is We are the province in the first place in production by numbers. We have around 1114 enterprises processing meat and meat products in Turkey, 70 of which are registered in Afyonkarahisar and we are in the fourth place among the provinces according to the number of 70 enterprises. Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa and Afyonkarahisar
But never mind other provinces or other provinces in sausage production, we are even ahead of the provinces that are seen as our competitors. and we are currently exporting our sausage to different countries, including the Middle East countries. Sucuk has already become a culture in Afyonkarahisar. We also have a geographical indication as Afyonkarahisar sausage, and our production figures or export figures reveal this difference,” he said.
Noting that Afyonkarahisar generally exports sausage to Middle Eastern countries, Acar noted that Afyonkarahisar sausage is sent to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
‘WE ARE TARGETING EXPORTS AS 15 OR 20 PERCENT IN 2021’
Serdar Bodur, who works as the general manager of one of the sausage production facilities in Afyonkarahisar, also underlined that they could not export completely due to the European Union criteria. Explaining that the countries they usually export to are the Far East and the Middle East, Serdar Bodur noted that they prefer Afyonkarahisar sausage because the people of the Far East and the Middle East are prone to spicy products and because they love spices very much. Bodur said, “We are making 10 percent of our production in 2020 to these countries. We were able to export 10 percent of our production in 2020. We are targeting this rate as 15 percent or 20 percent in 2021. We are taking quick steps in this direction.”
‘OUR MINISTRY IS BEING VERY SENSITIVE IN SUCH ISSUES’
Emphasizing that manufacturers have duties to export to EU countries, Serdar Bodur continued as follows:
“The rules issued by the Turkish Food Codex care about human health and set rules that are beneficial to human health. These rules were previously made by the craftsmen of these productions. Thanks to these rules, the productions are now carried out under the control of veterinarians and food engineers. These rules prioritize human health. As a matter of fact, as long as necessary hygiene etc. studies are carried out in the enterprises in order to comply with these rules, it is ensured that this chain is examined and examined in a healthy way, without breaking it, and reaching the end consumer in a healthy way. As long as these conditions are fulfilled, there is no obstacle for Turkey in complying with the EU criteria. Our Ministry is very sensitive in such matters. It already has a fast pace of work today. Just as the export of milk and dairy products has been opened, it expects it to take quick steps in the export of red meat and meat products as soon as possible. we are.”
