THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
AHBIB ACHIEVES 409 MILLION DOLLARS IN EXPORTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER, LEAPING INTO NEW MARKETS…
VEYSEL MEMİŞ: “WE REACHED 409 MILLION DOLLARS IN EXPORTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER, ENTERING A BALANCED GROWTH PROCESS WITH NEW MARKETS. DESPITE THE GLOBAL RECESSION, WE ARE MAINTAINING OUR PRODUCTION CAPACITY AND ESTABLISHING A NEW BALANCE IN EXPORTS”
Veysel Memiş, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mediterranean Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds and Products Exporters Association (AHBIB), announced that they achieved 409.2 million dollars in exports in the first quarter of the year. Chairman Veysel Memiş stated that between January and March 2026, the highest values were reached in the Syrian, Iraqi and Sudanese markets and that the strongest momentum in export volume was achieved in the Ukrainian, Djiboutian, South Korean, Austrian and Democratic Republic of Congo markets.
Chairman Veysel Memiş noted that in the first quarter of the year, exports experienced a decline in both quantity and value due to the contraction in global demand, price volatility and regional risks, but the sector entered a balancing process by shifting towards value-added production. Pointing out that the sector achieved 2.8 billion dollars in exports nationwide, he explained, “When we evaluate the overall picture, while the traditionally high-volume export-based growth model is weakening, high value-added products, the search for new markets and a more balanced export structure are coming to the forefront. The sector is changing direction rather than shrinking; although this change of direction may create fluctuations in the short term, it has the potential to form the basis of a more sustainable export structure in the medium and long term.”
“Confectionery products continue to be the driving force of our sector”
Evaluating the product group-based export figures for the January-March 2026 period, he added that confectionery products continued to be the driving force of the sector. Highlighting that in the first three months of the year, confectionery products continued to be the driving force of the sector with a 21 percent share and an export value of 84.5 million dollars, he concluded, “In particular, sweet biscuits and wafers stood out as the item with the highest export volume among all product groups, with a performance of 25.2 million dollars. The export reports reflecting the three-month results clearly show that high value-added and branded products strengthen our hand in global competition.”
