THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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As the holy month of Ramadan comes, dates are once again filling market stalls, bazaars and supermarket shelves across Türkiye, with official figures pointing to steadily rising demand and a sharp increase in both exports and imports in recent years.
Known for their high fiber and natural sugar content, dates provide quick energy after long fasting hours and are rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and selenium.
Imports rise steadily…
Data compiled from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show Türkiye’s date imports have climbed steadily in recent years.
Türkiye imported 49,040 tonnes of dates in 2021, 44,468 tonnes in 2022, 54,459 tonnes in 2023, 63,630 tonnes in 2024 and 67,093 tonnes in 2025, bringing the five-year total to 278,691 tonnes.
The import bill increased even more sharply, rising from 52.8 million dollars in 2021 and 51.6 million dollars in 2022 to 73.4 million dollars in 2023, before surging to 103 million dollars in 2024 and 133.7 million dollars in 2025.
Overall, Türkiye spent about 414.5 million dollars on date imports over the past five years.
Although dates are consumed year-round, demand peaks during Ramadan, when households typically buy in bulk and retailers expand offerings.
Exports hit 5-year high…
Alongside growing imports, Türkiye has strengthened its role as a regional hub for processing, packaging and re-exporting dates. Between 2021 and 2025, exports totaled 48,847 tonnes worth 125.1 million dollars.
Export revenues stood at 21.7 million dollars in 2021, dipped slightly to 19.6 million dollars in 2022, then rose to 23.6 million dollars in 2023 and 28.1 million dollars in 2024 before reaching a five-year high of 32 million dollars in 2025.
In 2025, the top destinations for Türkiye’s date exports were the United States with 14.2 million dollars, the United Kingdom with 6.7 million dollars and Australia with 4 million dollars…
