Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that YÖREX has become Turkey’s showcase, where all the colors of the country meet.  Hisarcıklıoğlu, stating that all corners of Turkey meet at the fair, “If geographical markers are known and heeded as well as they are today, our chambers, exchanges and most notably, our women entrepreneurs have played an immense role in this success. 40% of the geographically marked products registered in the last 10 years were registered by our chambers/exchanges, the number of registered products exceeding 150.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank led the transformation of the industry and its rise to a higher league, and that he is protecting local values; Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed his thanks to Varank for his vision and efforts.

- YÖREX is an important meeting point

Emphasizing that YÖREX has become an important meeting point for local products to gain of that branding and commercial value, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Local flavors, geographically marked products of each province, each county, are on display here. This way YÖREX enables the promotion of geographically marked products in Turkey and globally. Manufacturers and retailers come together here. They hold bilateral business meetings.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they’ve begun organizing YÖREX Geographical Marked Products Summit in 7 regions and the first of these was held in Erzurum.

Pointing out that just domestic registration is insufficient, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “It is important to register abroad and enter global markets. So far, 3 of our products, the Gaziantep baklava, the Aydın fig and the Malatya apricot have been registered in Europe. As the chambers and exchanges community, we are working for the registration of our other products in the EU. In this context, we have 15 products awaiting registration in the EU, from Afyon, Antakya, Edremit, Giresun, İnegöl, Kayseri, Milas and Taşköprü. More applications have been made from Antep, Aydın and Malatya more applied.”

- “Protect your values ​​for prosperity”

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that the value of the products coming from these lands should first be recognized by the people of this land, otherwise the value of the products would not be conveyed to the international market.

Stating that Turkey has natural wealth bestowed to very few countries throughout the world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The solution to get rid of the economic turmoil in recent years also lies in Anatolia. If you want to prosper, if you want to enrich your region you protect your local products.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, that there are 200 kinds of cheese in Turkey, but noted that Italy, France and the Netherlands push their brands with a single type of cheese; that these countries export 3-4 billion USD of cheese per year, while Turkey stays at 100-200 million USD.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the price of geographically marked products has doubled in Europe, “People are more interested in local and natural products; pay more for them. Focus on this and branding. Sell your goods to the whole world through e-commerce and e-exports.”

- Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank stated in his speech that many international organizations have revised up their growth forecasts for Turkey recently, “Interest rates and inflation fell; stability has been achieved in exchange rates.”

Varank, speaking at the opening of the 10^th Regional Products Fair held in Antalya ANFAS Exhibition Center, the fair supports regional development policies with its contributions in terms of branding, commercialization and protection of local products.

Reminding that YÖREX hosted over 207,000 visitors last year, Varank said that visitor numbers are expected to exceed previous year’s record.

- “Geographical markers are the signature of the land, of the region”

Referring to the importance of geographical marker registration for local products, Varank said that geographical signs bear the signature of the land and the region. Varank, pointing out that the registration adds attractive and interest-raising qualities to the region, “As of today, we have 454 registered products. Thanks to the careful and intensive work of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Authority, there are no provinces without registered goods. We do not intend to be satisfied with this. We know that we have around 2,500 potential geographic markers, according to our initial assessments, as well as 429 applications currently in progress.”

Varank stated that the added value provided to the economy by the registered products is as important as the number of registrations, and that over 500 registered geographically marked products of Italy provide over 12 billion Euros for the country's economy. Explaining that the registered marks only make up around 2 billion Euros in Turkey’s market, Varank expressed a need for further focus on processes following registration such as commercialization, branding, export and gastronomic tourism.

Varank stated that when geographically marked products, coupled with a strong marketing strategy, provide a very strong support to local production, tourism, employment and development, as well as the prevention of migration from rural to urban areas; stating that they offer various opportunities for the promotion and branding of products in the markets through development agencies.

- Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu and Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek

Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu stated that YÖREX plays an important role in raising awareness about local products and geographically marked products. Karaloğlu said, “YÖREX has become a very important brand for both Antalya and Turkey.”

Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Muhittin Böcek stated that Antalya hosts tourists from all over the world, and that they believe it will attain its goal of 16 million tourists by the end of the year.

- Antalya CCI President Davut Çetin

Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Davut Çetin described YÖREX as “the meeting of unity and solidarity.” Stating that the growth of YÖREX in Antalya is not a coincidence, Çetin said, “Local products are the soil, culture and agriculture of this country. Antalya is the province which has been promoting local goods globally for over 30 years.”

- Antalya Commodity Exchange President Ali Çandır

Antalya Commodity Exchange President Ali Çandır stated that this fair which they’ve been organizing for 10 years has become Turkey’s brand.

Çandır stated that, through the fair attended by 164 chambers and the commodity exchanges, 18 development agencies, 647 institutions and companies, covering 81 provinces and all of the products of the various regions gathered under a single roof, people can see, taste and feel all the local products in a single place.

- Hisarcıklıoğlu toured the stands, attended the chamber-commodity exchange consultation meeting

After the opening ceremony, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu visited the booths in the fair area and received information about the products and works. Hisarcıklıoğlu then met with the regional business community at the chamber and commodity exchange consultation meeting and listened to the problems and solution proposals. He exchanged views with those in attendance.