Import and marketing of processed food products in Türkiye

ABSTRACT In recent times that the world experiences the beginning of the 21st century, as a part of globalization progress, regional integrations are being speed up. Dwelling in this progress, Turkey, is an important country for regional integrations by her developed production sectors, demography, economy, geography and, population reaching beyond her boundaries. Food industry is one of the leading sectors in Turkish economy. However, this industry has the disadvantage of being composed of small or medium sized establishments (SME) up to a rate of 99%. As a result of this fragmented structure, ability of competition of the food sector is greatly weakened. Improper production policies applied in the agricultural sector, which supplies the most of commodities, are also negatively affecting the food industry. In this research, Turkish Food Industry is discussed. The distribution of production, consumption, and import ratios of the processed food by the years are examined especially during the globalization. The routine of import food consumption of Turkish consumer is investigated as well as its' profile, while the factors affecting the convenient and processed food consumption are being analyzed. The demand for the imported products provides rivalry advantage for the foreign producers in Turkish market. On the other hand, this advantage is reduced by the consumers' income. While protecting the processed food product sector, the market share and competitive strength of the imported processed food can be increased by consistent governmental policies. To achieve this goal, importing the rare or absent product should be allowed, agricultural policies must be updated, and, the supports for food industry development should be provided. Furthermore, economical inducements to increase the competition ability of SMEs must be supplied jn conjunction with consumers' education programs.