ISTANBUL…
After a record 3.66 million tonnes in flour exports in 2023, this year Türkiye aims to top four million tonnes, said the head of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) on Thursday.
Eren Günhan Ulusoy, Head of IAOM, states Turkish flour producers export products to 164 countries.
Pointing out that Türkiye’s flour exports jumped 60 percent in February after a rise of 22 percent in January, Ulusoy says, “For the last nine years, Türkiye has been the world’s largest flour exporter. Some 90 percent of the world population consumes Turkish flour.”
Noting that Türkiye earned 1.5 billion dollars from flour exports last year, he adds, “2023 was a good year for exports and Türkiye got a fast start in 2024. This January, with 344,000 tonnes of exports, we boosted our exports 22 percent compared to the previous January. This February, with 322,000 tonnes of exports, we achieved a 60 percent rise in our exports on quantity basis compared to last February.”
In 2024, the sector aims to export over 4 million tonnes of flour, he underlines.
Also highlighting that Türkiye’s flour exports rose 11-fold over the last two decades, including pasta rising 30-fold, bulghur 15-fold, semolina fivefold, and cookie fourfold, he concludes, “Türkiye this year is expected to produce 22-23 million tonnes of wheat.”