At least 9 million out of a total of 45.7 million tons of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in Turkey go to waste every year due to flaws in the supply chain, the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers has warned.
TZOB Chairman Şemsi Bayraktar pointed out 9 million tons, or 20 percent, of the total fresh fruit and vegetables grown in Turkey go to waste. Such losses in supply chains cost Turkey some TL 11 billion, Bayraktar added.
Underlining that most of the losses occur during harvest and storage processes, Bayraktar maintained timing failures or failure to use the right equipment when harvesting along with storing goods in poor-quality storage facilities cause the most waste. In addition, though the amount is negligible compared to that of produce, the amount of grain waste also poses another problem in Turkey's agricultural production, according to Bayraktar, who said such waste costs the country some TL 2.5 billion a year.
