THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
November, 2026…
According to data shared by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), the cereals, pulses, oilseeds and their products sector recorded 9.9 billion dollars in exports during the first 10 months of the year. The sector which encompasses staple food items such as sunflower oil, pasta and wheat flour, as well as chocolate, cocoa-based products, biscuits, wafers and various confectionery, reached a monthly export value of 1.03 billion dollars in October. Sunflower oil, which saw an 18.6 percent spike in exports compared to the same period last year, topped the list for the ten-month duration with a total exceeding 1 billion dollars. Exports of chocolate and cocoa-based products reached 886.5 million dollars, followed by sweet biscuits and wafers at 859.3 million dollars and pasta at 847.5 million dollars. Iraq ranked first among destination countries with 1.2 billion dollars in imports, accounting for a 12.5 percent share of the sector’s total exports, while the United States followed in second place with 735.8 million dollars.
“Logistics conditions determine price competitiveness in wheat procurement”
Offering an assessment of international developments affecting the food trade, Nihat Uysallı, Chairman of the TİM (Turkish Exporters Assembly) Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds and Products Sector Board, stated that the outlook for the new season in global agricultural markets points to a varied supply and trade landscape across different commodities.
“While a 2.6 percent decline is expected in global wheat production, along with a 7.9 percent drop in exports, the outlook for barley suggests a decrease in exports despite an increase in production. For maize, both production and export expectations are trending downward, whereas for soybeans, both indicators are projected to rise. However, beyond global supply, the costs and conditions under which products reach their target markets are equally critical,” he said.
Pointing out that geopolitical developments and risks concerning the security of shipments can disrupt trade links between production zones and consumer markets, thereby altering both the cost and the continuity of raw material procurement, he noted, “The fact that exporters have had to turn to alternative routes, each with its own distinct capacity and cost structure, in response to shipment constraints in the Black Sea region, highlights the delicate balance upon which the procurement process rests. Furthermore, expectations that shipments might resume can influence market prices even before any tangible normalization in trade flows has occurred.”
“Consequently, agricultural commodity prices are shaped not only by current supply and demand but also by expectations regarding future procurement conditions. Meanwhile, the decline in global wheat prices does not necessarily translate into a proportional cost advantage for Türkiye when sourcing from various origins such as Argentina, France, or Russia. The price gap between wheat from different origins narrows significantly by the time it reaches Türkiye, once transportation costs are factored in. In international competition, factors such as supply routes, transportation costs and delivery reliability are just as decisive as the initial price of the product,” he added…
