(Yicai Global) June 16 -- Turkish dairy products will soon be available in China, one of the world’s largest dairy markets worth USD6 billion.

Last month, 54 Turkish dairies were awarded export licenses to China, bringing five years of negotiations between the two nations to a successful conclusion. The final formalities are still being worked out, Fatih Tasdan, foreign trade director at Kaanlar Milk and Food, a leading Turkish supplier of dairy products and olives, told Yicai Global.

China imported 2.97 million tons of dairy products last year worth USD11.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs. Most of that came from Australia, the European Union and New Zealand.

Despite fierce competition, there will be space for Turkey’s goods in the Chinese market because of the size of its population and the sector’s potential for growth, Tasdan said. All indicators show that the consumption, import and production of dairy in China are on the rise, he said.

Last November, Kaanlar Milk sent representatives to Beijing and Shanghai to scout the market, Tasdan said. They prepared information about the company and its products in Chinese beforehand.

The Istanbul-based firm is looking to collaborate with local supermarkets and shopping malls, he said. In 2018, they tried to team up with e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding but were not successful. In the two years since then, the e-commerce sector in China has undergone great changes and they plan to try again.

The company, which started out more than 40 years ago, is unable to give pricing at present as it is still new to the Chinese market, he said.

The average person in China consumes 33 liters of milk and liquid dairy products a year, up from 19 liters 10 years ago, according to market research data. Young people in particular like to try new products, Tasdan added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor