THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
August 2026…
The Turkish fresh fruit and vegetable sector has achieved a significant success story in the last 22 years by transforming its production capacity into exports. The sector’s exports soared by 175 percent, from 1,337,000 tonnes to 3,669,000 tonnes.
According to a compilation of data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) by the R&D unit of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, the production and export of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, watermelons, apples, peaches-nectarines, apricots, cherries, oranges, mandarins, lemons, figs, kiwis, bananas, grapes, strawberries and pomegranates were examined.
Production of these 20 products, which form the backbone of Türkiye’s fresh fruit and vegetable production, surged by 50 percent from 34,292,000 tonnes in 2002 to 51,560,000 tonnes in 2024. By the end of 2024, total production had risen to 62 million tonnes.
Due to the climate crisis in 2025, there was a 14 percent loss in the production of these products and production decreased to 44 million 350 thousand tonnes.
While the Turkish fresh fruit and vegetable sector achieved an export performance of 1 million 337 thousand tonnes in 2002, it reached 3 million 669 thousand tonnes by the end of 2024 with a record increase of 175 percent.
While 3.8 percent of production was exported in 2002, this figure rose to 7.1 percent in 2024.
The fresh fruit and vegetable sector, which was able to export 3.8 percent of its products in 2002, managed to export 7.1 percent of its total production in 2024.
Cengiz Balık, Chair of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, stated that the sector has undergone a significant transformation in the production-to-export chain over the last 22 years.
“Looking at the period from 2002 to 2024, our production increased by approximately 50 percent, while our exports grew by over 175 percent. This shows that the Turkish fresh fruit and vegetable sector has become a structure that not only produces but also competes strongly in world markets,” he said.
Pointing out that their ability to translate the success they achieve in production into exports is strengthening every year, he added, “In 2025, our fresh fruit and vegetable exports reached 3 billion 704 million dollars. We aim for our exports to exceed 4.5 billion dollars in 2026.”
