THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
Aegean exporters, who have struggled to compete in export markets for the past three years due to the difference between inflation and exchange rates, overcame all difficulties and boosted their exports by 4 percent from 5.926 billion to 6.155 billion dollars in the January-April period of 2026.
Members of the Aegean Exporters’ Associations (EIB) exported to 204 countries and customs zones in the January-April period of 2026. In the first four months of 2025, Aegean exporters had exported to 203 countries and customs zones.
The 8,500 exporting companies that are members of the Aegean Exporters’ Associations ramped up their exports to 119 countries in 2026, while failing to reach last year’s export figures in 85 countries.
Half of Exports goes to the European Union…
Muhammet Öztürk, Coordinator Chair of the Aegean Exporters’ Associations, emphasized that the European Union, Türkiye’s traditional export market, continues to favour Aegean exporters in 2026.
Öztürk stated that exports to the European Union surged by 13.4 percent in the first four months of 2026, rising from 2.689 billion to 3.05 billion dollars. “For every 100 dollars of our exports, 50 dollars went to EU countries. The EU’s share of our total exports surged from 45 percent to 50 percent. We boosted our exports to 22 of the 27 EU countries. We recorded significant increases in Malta, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Hungary. While the EU’s share in Türkiye’s exports is 46 percent, our Aegean exporters have shown a more successful performance in the EU market,” he noted.
Providing information about countries outside the European Union where significant increases in exports were achieved, he added, “Our exports to Yemen increased by 136 percent, from 37 million dollars to 87 million dollars; our exports to Syria increased by 94 percent, from 17 million dollars to 33 million dollars and our exports to China increased by 24 percent, from 168 million to 209 million dollars.”
Pointing out that according to IMF estimates, while the volume of world trade in goods and services is expected to grow by 4.1 percent in 2025, this growth rate is projected to decline to 2.6 percent in 2026, he concluded, “The World Trade Organization also estimates that the growth rate in goods trade will slow down in 2026. In a period where 2026 is considered to be a more challenging year for world trade than 2025, it is very valuable that our members of the Aegean Exporters’ Associations have increased their exports by 4 percent by exporting to 204 countries and customs zones.”
