During the first seven months of the year, Turkey has exported eggs to 19 countries, with a total export value of $180 million.
According to the data compiled from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), last year Turkey sold 289,000 tons of eggs to 23 countries and secured a revenue of $289.4 million. Iraq was the first destination demanding Turkish eggs with a total value of $232.7 million. It was followed by Syria and Saudi Arabia with $18.2 million and $12 million, respectively.
During the January-July period of this year, 19 countries imported eggs from Turkey, which amounted to 171,000 tons and generated revenue of $180 million in total. Again, Iraq became the country that received the largest amount of Turkish eggs, with a $154.8 million export value. Azerbaijan became the second destination with $5.5 million and United Arab Emirates came third with $3.3 million. Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Libya, Somalia, Iran, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Georgia and Afghanistan were among the other destinations for Turkish eggs.
Moreover, Turkey closely monitors the eggs produced in the country after a crisis broke out in Europe with the detection of fipronil tainted eggs in the continent. According to the analysis carried out, the domestically-produced eggs have no fipronil, which is classified as a hazardous pesticide by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The country's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has conducted a wide analysis in accordance with the National Residue Monitoring Plan (NRMP) and according to the regulations in line with the European Union (EU) directive. The NRMP is in a plan status that is obligatory for all countries to apply for in order to export primary animal products to the EU with the decision of the EU Council and is being prepared every year based on the production data of the previous year.
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba said last week that Turkey remained unaffected by the latest health scandal regarding the insecticide-tainted eggs that hit Europe. Fakıbaba denied claims that Turkey was also one of the states selling toxic eggs, underlining that a probe into domestic eggs did not detect any trace of the insecticide fipronil.
Upon the outbreak of the fipronil-tainted eggs crisis in the Netherlands and Belgium, the European Commission initiated an investigation in early August. The Commission said last week that eggs contaminated with the insecticide have been discovered in 40 countries, including 24 of the European Union's 28 member states. Only Lithuania, Portugal, Cyprus and Croatia were identified to be clear of eggs containing fipronil.