Access to accurate and up-to-date information is crucial to become efficient and competitive in international markets. In Turkey, the Aegean Exporters’ Association has been collecting official organic export data since 1996 and organizing them through E-BİRLİK software since 2009. However, released data do not reflect the real export of organic goods in Turkey. This study analyzes the major bottlenecks. The main causes of the presence of unreliable data and of the non-declaration of organic exports were investigated by surveying a group of organic exporters in the Aegean region. The barriers and the end-users demands on the Data Collection System were identified to help decision-makers improve the system. The main reasons explaining for the non-declaration of organic exports are the structural complexity and ambiguity of E-BİRLİK software.
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Besides, neither bonus nor fines exist for declaration or non-declaration. The most important barrier is the “insufficiency of state aids and incentives for organic export”.
