Ankara and Beijing signed deals on the export of aquatic products and almonds from Türkiye to China, as well as on their inspection and health requirements, during a recent visit by Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı to China.
Yumaklı met on Wednesday with Sun Meijun, director general of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, in Shanghai.
"In Shanghai, we signed three important protocols regarding the export of aquatic products and almonds from Türkiye to China," he said in a post on X.
"With this collaboration, the quality of Türkiye’s aquatic products sector and agricultural production is now opening up to China, one of the world’s largest consumer markets. In addition to valuable species such as salmon, sea bream and sea bass, our high-quality almond production will also find a place in the Chinese market," he wrote.
"The signed protocols will not only increase trade volume but also strengthen mutual recognition and technical cooperation between the two countries in areas such as food safety, health certification and traceability," he added.
During the visit to Shanghai, Yumaklı said that strengthening agricultural cooperation is critical to ensuring stability, sustainability and food security, citing China as a global agricultural leader.
He stated that agricultural products accounted for $300 billion, or 5%, of China's $6 trillion foreign trade volume last year, while agricultural trade volume between Türkiye and China totaled $789 million, accounting for only 1.6% of total trade volume between the two countries.
He noted that Türkiye is one of the largest exporters of poultry products, and China is a major importer. Türkiye also leads in hazelnut, pistachio, raisins, apricot and fig exports, and the country plans to enter the Chinese market for cherries.
The minister mentioned that a report on pests was prepared for citrus exports after a visit by a technical delegation from China to Türkiye.
"I think many high-quality Turkish agricultural products will reach China," he said.
Sun Meijun, for her part, recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting in August, saying the two countries should move forward toward development and that the strategic cooperation between the two countries has deepened in many areas, including customs and agricultural trade.
