Basic Food Products Exports Reach $1.03 Billion

January exports from the grains, legumes, oilseeds and processed products sector—which encompasses basic food items including biscuits and pasta, wheat flour, vegetable oils, sugary and cocoa products and pasta—reached USD 1.03 billion. The sector exported 1.1 million tonnes in January, increasing export revenues by 5.4% compared to the same period last year and raising its share of Turkey's total agricultural exports to 33%. Istanbul, Gaziantep and Mersin led in exports from the grains, legumes, oilseeds and processed products sector, while Iraq, the United States and Syria were the top destination countries.

"Turkey stands out positively in supporting agricultural producers"

Ahmet Tiryakioğlu, Chairman of the TİM Grains, Legumes, Oilseeds and Processed Products Sector Board, emphasizing that the global food sector entered 2024 with optimism despite recession expectations, regional conflicts, climate crisis and cost pressures, assessed global developments as follows: "Although agricultural input costs have risen, global food prices may remain stable for some time due to demand contraction brought about by monetary tightening programmes. What matters at this point is the continuation of government support to agricultural producers to balance producer price increases and combat inflation. The farmer protests currently underway across Europe are driven by demands in this direction." [caption id="attachment_159532" align="aligncenter"] Ahmet Tiryakioğlu[/caption]

Tiryakioğlu, noting that in an environment where the duration of the impact of Middle Eastern conflicts on oil and logistics processes remains unknown, agricultural production will be one of the critical issues, assessed developments in Turkey as follows:

"Last year in our country, the Commodity Office's purchases exceeded 13 million tonnes, while our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's agricultural support payments exceeded TRY 63 billion. Our public resources were used to support production in this process. For our food exporters, who ensure that our agricultural products are sold abroad with added value through processing, access to finance is currently one of the most important issues. In this respect, Eximbank's USD 50 billion support pledge has relieved our exporters, whose financing costs have recently increased. In a year that was highly productive in terms of harvest, these domestic developments enabled us to begin 2024 with major targets."

"Turkish Food Exporters brand launches promotion campaign"

Providing information about the promotion campaign of the Turkish Food Exporters brand, formed through the collaboration of 6 exporter associations from different regions and comprising Turkey's largest companies in basic food, Tiryakioğlu stated: "Since the field of activity of the grains, legumes, oilseeds and processed products sector is broad and rich, under our Associations there are very large brands competing at international scale. Each of our businesses carries out marketing activities that resonate in their respective fields, but individual activities do not contribute as much as we would like to the common perception of the sector. The cooperation of our 6 Exporter Associations was a very important step in terms of Turkey's recognition as one of the world's leading food exporters. This month, we will be at the Gulfood fair in Dubai under the Turkish Food Exporters brand. Through the promotional activities we will organize for our potential customers there, we will make a major contribution to the perception of Turkish goods in the Middle East market."