By Gokhan Ergocun
ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's food companies attended the 43rd Foodex Japan to display Turkish food, the Aegean Exporters Association (EIB) said on Friday.
Around 3,400 food companies -- including 48 Turkish firms -- from 83 different countries participated in the event, the statement by the EIB said.
Japan is one of the target markets for Turkey's food companies, said Nurettin Tarakcioglu, deputy coordinator of the EIB.
Japan meets a big share of its food consumption with imports, which has reached up to $80 billion annually, Tarakcioglu added.
"The fair is very important for exporters and Japan is a significant market for our organic product potential.”
"Japan has 130 million population, which has a custom of consuming nutritious and quality food products," he said, noting that Turkey's food exports to Japan amounted to $154 million last year.
Turkey’s total export to Japan was $411.5 million in 2017, up from $354.4 million in 2016, while its import was nearly $4.3 billion in 2017 and $3.9 billion in 2016 according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Tarakcioglu said a reception to promote Turkey's food products in Japan and South Korea was held at the Turkey's embassy building in the capital Tokyo, with the participation of nearly 300 people from Japanese representatives, press members and import firms.
The fair, which was held March 6-9 in Japan's province of Chiba, hosted over 76,000 visitors.
"Foodex Japan is the Asia's largest exhibition dedicated on food and drink across Japan and the whole world," said the fair's website.