Browse Data and Analysis

Over the last decade, with investments in domestic port infrastructure and storage and owing to Turkiye’s deeper integration in regional and global trade networks, the country has become a major hub for transshipped agricultural products, such as oilseeds, grain, pulses, tree nuts, and juice.

Turkiye’s cherry production for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast down from last year’s record, but is still the third largest on the books. Despite the contraction in production, cherry exports are forecast to hit an all-time high as growers prioritize sales abroad since it’s more profitable then selling on the local market.

As of May 15, 2024, Turkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry announced a ban on the importation of live cattle from the United States following confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in some U.S. lactating dairy cows.

In early August, Turkiye announced that it will open a lower-duty quota for 1.0 million metric tons of sunflower seed or crude sunflower oil equivalent, starting from January-April of next year.

Over the last couple decades, with smaller catch volumes resulting from decades of overfishing, the Turkish seafood sector pivoted and ramped up investments in aquaculture production.

This report outlines specific requirements for importing food and agricultural products into Turkiye and should be read in conjunction with the 2024 FAIRS Export Certificate report.

On January 27, 2022, the Turkish government published a regulation (2022/1) that granted the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF) the authority to restrict the export of twenty (20) agricultural products in order to decrease domestic food inflation.

On January 7, 2022, the Turkish Government published Biosafety Decisions on the import of genetically engineered (GE) soybean and corn events. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF) approved one new soybean event and one new corn event for feed and cancelled the approvals of two corn events which expired on 12/24/2021.

On January 3, 2022, Turkey announced the domestic producer price index (PPI) inflation in the second half of 2021 was 47.39 percent, therefore triggering an automatic increase in the fixed-amount Special Consumption Tax (SCT) for alcohol beverages, soft drinks, fruit juice, and tobacco products.

On December 31, 2021, Turkey announced a revised tariff list for a number of products. According to a Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette, the import tariffs on wheat, corn, rye, barley, oats, chickpeas, and lentils, has been eliminated through December 31, 2022.