The fresh fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable sectors, which carry Turkey's flavors to every corner of the world, increased their exports by 4% in 2024, reaching USD 6 billion 131 million. The USD 6 billion threshold in the fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable sector was surpassed for the first time in 2024.
Turkey's fresh fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable sectors increased their exports by 4% in 2024, reaching USD 6.131 billion. The fruit and vegetable processing sector crossed the USD 6 billion threshold for the first time in 2024.
In 2024, the fresh fruit and vegetable sector recorded exports of USD 3.401 billion, while the processed fruit and vegetable sector contributed USD 2.728 billion to the record exports.
Aegean Region captured 22% share
Hayrettin Uçak, Deputy Chairman of Aegean Exporters Unions Coordinator and Chairman of Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union, stated that they realized USD 1.314 billion of the USD 6.131 billion in exports achieved nationwide, capturing a 22% share of Turkey's total exports.
Chairman Uçak, who held a press conference at Aegean Exporters Unions to evaluate 2024, emphasized that 2024 was a demanding and exhausting year for the export world. Uçak said, "However, overcoming all these difficulties, as the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union, we achieved USD 1.314 billion in exports in 2024. I sincerely congratulate all our members who contributed to this success for their outstanding efforts. If we examine the product and country details of our union's exports, the most exported products were pickles with USD 319 million, dried tomatoes and tomato paste with USD 170 million, fruit juices with USD 101 million, cherries with USD 55 million, tomatoes with USD 44 million, and grapes with USD 41 million. In the products where our union is strongest, products such as pickles, dried tomatoes, and chestnuts maintained their importance."
Germany the top export destination
Uçak, providing information that the countries to which Turkey exports the most fresh fruit and vegetable and processed fruit and vegetable products are Germany with USD 239 million, the USA with USD 197 million, the UK with USD 101 million, Russia with USD 95 million, the Netherlands with USD 71 million, and Italy with USD 63 million, continued as follows: "For Turkey overall, the most exported products were fruit juices with USD 574 million, mandarins with USD 475 million, pickles with USD 428 million, tomatoes with USD 426 million, dried tomatoes and tomato paste group with USD 377 million, and lemons with USD 357 million."
Third Generation Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Project's third phase to be implemented in 2025
Emphasizing that they attach great importance to young people for sustainable agriculture and the future of exports, Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union Chairman Hayrettin Uçak stated that they organized six-week training programs for young people in two different periods through the "Third Generation Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Project" to bring young people with agricultural engineering and food engineering education into the agriculture sector.
Sharing that in the "Third Generation Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Project," theoretical and practical training is provided by expert staff in all stages from production to trade, and orchard and factory visits are organized, Uçak noted that they will implement the third phase of the project in 2025.
44 companies pooled efforts in URGE Project
Reminding that as the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union, they implemented 3 successful URGE Projects with the support of the Ministry of Trade and that the "Fresh Grapes, Cherries and Pomegranates URGE Project" received the "Best URGE Project Award" from the Ministry of Trade, Chairman Uçak emphasized that in 2025, they will continue a new URGE Project with the participation of 44 companies aiming to open new markets, and that planning is underway to conduct a trade delegation in the first half of 2025.
New export agreements made through Turkish Tastes
Uçak, conveying that under the TURQUALITY Project called Turkish Tastes, which aims to increase exports of food products from Turkey to the USA through the partnership of 6 food unions under the Aegean Exporters Unions umbrella, they organized highly successful events in the USA, shared that this initiative, which began with promotion activities, is now bearing fruit and Turkish food companies are starting to sign export agreements.
Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union Chairman Hayrettin Uçak added to his remarks that they aim to take a leading role in promoting Izmir and the fruit and vegetable sector by providing stronger participation in 2025 to the Interfresh Fair, which was held for the first time in Izmir in 2024 and is of great importance for the fruit and vegetable sector.
Balık: "We take 600 samples annually for 11 products"
Cengiz Balık, Vice Chairman of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union, provided information that they have been implementing a project called "We Know the Pesticides We Use" since 2021 to prevent residue formation in fresh fruit and vegetable products.
Stating that they take samples in 11 products including strawberries, grape leaves, peaches, cherries, pomegranates, lemons, grapes, mandarins, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers in Aydın, Izmir, Manisa, and Muğla provinces, where fresh fruit and vegetable production is intensive; Balık said: "Within the scope of this project, which shows variation depending on the product, we take approximately 600 samples annually and have our analyses conducted at accredited laboratories. We share the results of our analyses with our members, producers, and stakeholder institutions. Although Russia is our largest market in terms of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, we also have our analyses conducted according to EU MRL values for some of our products, such as cherries. When we obtain analysis results that are not compliant with EU or Russian standards, if we obtained the sample from a producer, we inform the producer directly, and if we obtained it from our members, we inform our members directly to prevent this situation from recurring in the next production season and to raise awareness. Producing residue-free products becomes even more difficult, especially in changing climate conditions, due to the impact on disease and pest populations. In the past year, we received many feedbacks due to aflatoxin, ochratoxin, and pesticide residues. We see that 50 of these feedbacks are pesticide-related. The products for which we received the most feedback are grapes, tomatoes, pears, and peppers. We found that 16 of the pesticide-related feedbacks are due to the active substance acetamiprid, of which we received feedback on 10 cases from grapes and 4 cases from pomegranates."
Türkmenoğlu: "37% of processed product exports were made from the Aegean Region"
Turkey Fruit and Vegetable Processing Sector Board Chairman Türmen Türkmenoğlu, stating that Turkey's fruit and vegetable processed products exports reached USD 2.728 billion in 2024, shared that the USD 1 billion in exports, equivalent to 37% of fruit and vegetable processed products exports, was realized by the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union.
Providing information that the average export price in fruit and vegetable processed products exports nationwide in Turkey was USD 1.27, Türkmenoğlu said, "In 2024, the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union's processed product export unit price was realized at USD 1.59. When this figure is compared with 2023, our average price showed an increase of 1%. While fruit juices was the most exported product group nationwide with USD 574 million, pickles accounted for USD 319 million in the Aegean Region."
Underlining that the fruit and vegetable processed products sector stands out with some important advantages over other branches in agriculture, Türkmenoğlu spoke as follows; "Our production processes do not require a large proportion of imported raw materials, export-based growth targets and the high employment opportunities it provides are strong aspects specific to our sector. At the same time, the added value incorporated into processed products plays a key role in increasing export revenues. Our sector also draws attention with its gastronomy-based contributions to the country's food exports. The international recognition of food prepared with Turkish products increases demand for all Turkish food products and expands export volume. Particularly in HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, cafe) channels and retail chains, demand for Turkish products continues to grow day by day."
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