THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
The continued restrictions on poultry meat exports have sounded alarm bells in a sector experiencing record production growth. Ali Can Yamanyılmaz, Vice Chair of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) Sectors Council and the Mediterranean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters’ Association (ASHİB), stated that keeping export channels closed could lead to losses in foreign markets built over the years and a reduction in production capacity. Noting that Türkiye has experienced strong growth in poultry meat production in recent years, Yamanyılmaz said, “In 2025, total poultry meat production reached 2,848,000 tonnes. Production surged by over 11 percent. Despite this, the closure of export channels is creating serious stock pressure in the sector.”
“Poultry exports decreased by 23.9 percent in quantity and 47.8 percent in value in April.”
Yamanyilmaz emphasized that the restrictions imposed on poultry meat exports negatively impacted April’s export reports, and that the contraction in exports poses critical risks in terms of production, investment, and market loss. “According to TİM data, exports decreased by 23.9 percent in quantity and 47.8 percent in value in April. While the export quantity fell from 34.6 million kilograms in the same period last year to 26.3 million kilograms, the export value decreased from 49.2 million to 25.7 million dollars. This situation clearly indicates that alarm bells are ringing regarding the future of the sector.”
“In the first stage, even with quotas, exports should be opened!”
Underlining that the sector’s main expectation is the reopening of the export door and that a quota system could be implemented in the first stage, he added, “We expect our government to reconsider its decision on export restrictions. At least initially, exports should be opened, even if with quotas. This would both reduce existing stocks and preserve Türkiye’s presence in markets it has worked hard for over the years. Otherwise, both our producers will suffer from a decrease in production capacity and a slowdown in investments and consumers will have to buy more expensive products as prices increase.”
