Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that branding is necessary in order to transform local goods into wealth, expressing his full support for the Local Goods Fair.

TOBB president M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the 5^th Local Goods Fair, YÖREX, organized by the Antalya Commodity Exchange, will bring together all the local goods of Anatolia and said, “Local goods from the four corners of Turkey, from its provinces and counties, will be promoted at YÖREX. This fair is an organization on which I put great importance. We have no petroleum or natural gas. Much more valuable wealth gushes forth from these lands. From food to handcrafted goods; from industrial goods to arts and crafts, textiles, rugs, woodcarvings – there are over 3,000 types of local goods. Be sure that if this wealth and quality were in the hands of any other nation they would be rich with just these brands.”

Stating that YÖREX is a great opportunity to redound these values to the economy, Hisarcıklıoğlu urged chambers and exchanges in the provinces to protect them.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “At YÖREX, we will promote goods while also ensuring that they are branded and gain added value. This fair has cemented its place. An attendee from Van, a purveyor of Turkish delights, is marketing his goods to over 80 hotels. The Gelibolu Mevevi treats has reached an agreement with the Turkish Airlines’ supplier, becoming a part of their menu. Over 30 million domestic and foreign travelers are eating Gelibolu’s Mevlevi treats each year.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed the need to carry the fair into the international circuit, and stated that TOBB has supported the fair from its very beginning.

- 50 billion USD trade volume

Antalya Commodity Exchange (ATB) and West Mediterranean Development Foundation (BAGEV) Board Chairman Ali Çandır stated that goods with geographical markers have a global trade volume of 50 billion USD and said, “Every year, this volume increase. We must take advantage of this potential.”

Providing information on the various policies regarding local goods in the EU, Çandır drew attention to the fact that Anatolia, with over 3,000 local goods, only has 183 of these goods labeled as geographical markers.

Having launched the Local Goods Project in order to redound local goods to the economy, Ali Çandır reported that they have been holding YÖREX since 2010 and went on to invite all provinces and counties to take part in the fair.