Building an Agricultural Export Chain in Türkiye

Current Market Overview

Türkiye’s agricultural exports surpassed 36 billion USD in 2024, with 28.5 billion USD coming from food products. However, in the period between January and November 2025, exports of agricultural, food, and beverage products fell by 1.02% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 24.79 billion USD.

Sectoral Achievements

Grains, Pulses, and Oilseeds

The grains, pulses, oilseeds, and related products sector achieved exports worth 9.047 billion USD between January and September 2025, accounting for 47% of total food exports. This is Türkiye’s strongest food export segment.

Olive Products

Table olive exports broke a historic record, generating 255.31 million USD in revenue during the 2024/25 season. The sector’s target for 2025/26 is to reach 300 million USD. Türkiye has consolidated its position as the world leader in table olive production and the second-largest producer of olive oil.

– black olive exports: increased by 19% to 194 million USD
– green olive exports: increased by 29% to 61 million USD

Dried Fruits

Türkiye’s dried fruit exports reached 1.85 billion USD in 2024, driven by strong global demand for seedless raisins, dried apricots, and figs.

Infrastructure and Logistics Development

Under the coordination of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), strategic interventions are strengthening Türkiye’s agricultural export chain.

Cold Chain Logistics

The number of refrigerated trucks has grown from just two in 2017 to 28 in 2025. Controlled-atmosphere container shipping routes to Europe and Dubai have reduced freight costs and improved exporter profit margins.

Packaging Capacity

Packaging plant capacity has been expanded from 30 tons per day to 50 tons, enabling more efficient export operations.

Quality Standards

Infrastructure now complies with international standards for food safety and traceability, ensuring higher quality presentation and reliability in export deliveries.

How to Build an Agricultural Export Supply Chain in Turkey: A Practical Framework

Building a sustainable agricultural export supply chain in Turkey requires a structured approach in which production, logistics, certification, and sales operate as a single integrated ecosystem. Based on the current market structure, several key stages define the effectiveness of agricultural exports.

1. Product Selection and Export Positioning
The first step is selecting the right product category based on export margins and target market requirements. In Turkey, grains, olive products, dried fruits, and value-added processed foods show the highest export potential. In practice, moving from bulk commodity exports to packaged or branded products significantly increases added value and long-term competitiveness.

2. Certification and Regulatory Compliance
Access to the EU, US, and Canadian markets requires early compliance with food safety, traceability, and packaging regulations. International certifications (organic, phytosanitary, and export compliance standards) reduce border rejection risks and facilitate entry into retail chains, distributors, and institutional buyers.

3. Cold Chain and Logistics Optimization
One of Turkey’s key competitive advantages is its advanced cold-chain infrastructure. The use of refrigerated transport and controlled-atmosphere containers minimizes spoilage, extends shelf life, and optimizes transportation costs. In many cases, logistics efficiency directly determines the final profitability of export contracts.

4. Market Diversification Strategy
Resilient export supply chains are built around diversified sales markets rather than dependence on a single destination. For Turkish agricultural exporters, this typically means combining the EU and US with fast-growing markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Diversification reduces exposure to quotas, tariffs, and demand volatility.

5. Integration of Marketing and Export Promotion Tools
Modern agricultural exports increasingly rely on integrated marketing strategies, including participation in international trade fairs, national export promotion programs (such as TURQUALITY), and structured engagement with global buyers. This approach enables companies to shift from transactional sales to long-term export partnerships.

6. Supply Chain Optimization Through Institutional Support
Public and sector-specific institutions, such as NAEB, function as supply-chain integrators by supporting logistics, certification, and market access. For foreign investors and entrepreneurs from CIS countries, working within these ecosystems lowers market entry barriers and accelerates business scaling.

Main Target Markets

Traditional Markets

Russia, Iraq, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, and Romania remain Türkiye’s primary export destinations.

High-Growth Markets

Countries such as Algeria, Syria, and Kazakhstan have reported export growth rates exceeding 300%.

Olive Oil Exports

The United States accounts for 43% of Türkiye’s olive oil exports, while Spain and Italy are also significant markets.

Marketing and Promotion Strategies

Industry representatives are intensifying global promotion efforts through trade missions and international food fairs, including:

– United States: Summer Fancy Food Show, Expo West
– Japan: Foodex
– China: China International Import Expo
– TURQUALITY Initiative: aiming to promote Turkish food products in the U.S. market

Production Capacity and Expansion

To enhance value-added agricultural exports, NAEB has been expanding high-potential cultivation areas:

– rehabilitation of 2,145 hectares for coffee production
– distribution of 8.5 million tea saplings
– development of tropical product zones for avocados and macadamia nuts

These initiatives aim to increase product diversity and open access to new export markets.

Economic Performance and Targets

Türkiye’s agricultural export revenue has shown consistent growth:

– 2017: 515.8 million USD
– 2024–2025: over 893 million USD

Within the framework of the National Transformation Strategy 2 (NST2), Türkiye targets 1.54 billion USD in agricultural export revenue by 2029.

Opportunities and Challenges for Global Entrepreneurs

Opportunities

– global agricultural trade is projected to grow by 8% by 2026, reaching 2.22 trillion USD
– increasing real consumer spending in Türkiye (3% growth) creates demand for new product categories
– market diversification policies enable entry into new geographic regions

Challenges

– quota limitations in EU markets: the 100-ton EU quota for olive oil exports remains inadequate
– imports outpacing exports: in 2025, imports rose by 22.83% to 20.52 billion USD
– market concentration: slowdowns in traditional destinations
– growing demand for quality: EU markets increasingly require organic, tropical, and functional food products

Strategic Recommendations

Entrepreneurs should leverage Türkiye’s recent success, with a 57.5% increase in agricultural exports over the past five years. Key factors for success include:

– developing cold chain infrastructure
– obtaining international quality certifications
– diversifying export markets
– investing in value-added food products

Focusing on innovation, logistics modernization, and branding will be essential to secure Türkiye’s position as a global agricultural exporter.