THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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August 2026…
The “Türkiye’s Top 1000 Exporters 2025” survey released by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) provides a clear picture of where production and exports are concentrated within Türkiye’s grain processing industry. The findings show that Türkiye, which continues to lead the world in flour exports while maintaining its position as one of the world’s leading pasta exporters, now relies heavily on the Southeastern Anatolia cluster—particularly Gaziantep—as the driving force behind the sector’s export performance. An examination of the flour, pasta and biscuit companies included in the list reveals that this export success is far from accidental; rather, it is the outcome of a strong manufacturing ecosystem, strategic geography and decades of industrial expertise.
The TİM list reveals another important reality. When the country’s leading flour, pasta, biscuit and bakery companies are mapped geographically, they form an impressive export corridor stretching from Samsun through Kırklareli, Istanbul and Konya, before extending to Gaziantep, Mardin and finally the export gateways of Mersin’s ports. Türkiye’s global leadership in flour exports and its strong position in pasta exports are, to a great extent, sustained by this production belt.
Türkiye No Longer Competes City by City—It Competes Through Industrial Clusters
Perhaps this is the single most important conclusion to emerge from the TİM Top 1000 list. In the past, competition was primarily between individual companies. Today, it is increasingly industrial clusters that compete on the global stage. Gaziantep is no longer competing only with other Turkish manufacturers. It now faces the pasta clusters of Italy, Canada’s durum wheat industry, Egypt’s expanding milling sector and Kazakhstan’s flour producers. Competition is therefore no longer company versus company—it is ecosystem versus ecosystem. This is precisely where Türkiye’s greatest competitive advantage lies. Industrial clusters that have emerged in cities such as Gaziantep, Karaman, Samsun and Mardin successfully combine knowledge, integrated supply chains, logistics capabilities, machinery manufacturing and skilled human resources within the same ecosystem.
The TİM Top 1000 makes one fact unmistakably clear: Türkiye’s competitive advantage no longer lies solely in individual companies, but in integrated industrial ecosystems that combine production, technology, logistics and expertise. As these regional clusters continue to evolve, they will remain the driving force behind the country’s global leadership in grain processing and food exports…
Source: www.magazinebbm.com
