Geri
The Grains, Legumes, oilseeds, and products sector exported 2.2 million tonnes of products to 204 countries and free countries in January and February 2025. Thus, the grains, legumes, oilseeds, and products sector, which covers basic food products, especially wheat flour, pasta, vegetable oils, biscuits, and sugary and cocoa products, exported 2.1 billion dollars in February.
Grain producers increased their exports by 2 percent in this period and boosted their export share in the category of vegetable products in the agricultural production group to 49.9 percent. The most exported product group was recorded as cocoa and chocolate-containing products with $ 183.2 million and sunflower oil with $ 173 million. Due to the restrictions on wheat imports, the share of wheat flour, whose exports decreased by 37.6 percent to 160.8 million dollars, in total Grain exports fell to 7.6 percent. The countries with the highest exports were Iraq, the USA, and Syria. Exports to African countries increased by 13.6 percent.
Drawing attention to the fact that the share of Africa in Türkiye's total Grain exports is approaching 25 percent and the increasing commercial potential of Africa, Ahmet Tiryakioğlu, Chairman of the TIM Grains, Legumes, Oil Seeds and Products Sector Board, said: ‘Africa, where grain exports reached 2.9 billion dollars at the end of 2024, is the second largest export region of the sector after the Middle East market. The continent, whose population is approaching 1.5 billion, holds a larger share in sectoral exports than the total share of the European Union (EU) and the USA. Africa's demand for Turkish products is increasing every year.’ Continuing his statements by stating that they are working to be more effective throughout Africa, Tiryakioğlu said, ‘In terms of current trade volume, we cooperate with the Great Sahara countries, which include developing countries such as Algeria, Libya, and Egypt. However, we also assume an important responsibility in terms of access to major food products such as wheat flour, pasta, and vegetable oil for the population fed under unhealthy and unfavorable conditions in the Sub-Saharan region. In the first 2 months of 2025, we exported 507.9 million dollars to African countries, where our exports increased by 13.6 percent. In the coming period, we want to be as effective in Africa as we are in the Middle East.’
Stating that international companies operating in the grains sector and the exporters' associations they are affiliated with have important initiatives in Africa, Tiryakioğlu concluded his words with the following explanations.’ Last year, we exported nearly 300 million dollars to Djibouti, which is a logistics gateway for landlocked countries such as Ethiopia. In Djibouti, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and is located on one of the most important trade routes between Africa and Asia, we realized more than half of our sectoral exports from the Southeast. In the first 2 months of this year, we reached 47.2 million USD in Djibouti. While the buyer delegation programs carried out by our exporters' associations reinforce bilateral relations, the transformative investments made by our companies in this country will make a great contribution to facilitating supply chain logistics. All these developments will further increase Türkiye's effectiveness in the East African market. The spread of modern agricultural production techniques in Africa, which is home to more than half of the world's uncultivated arable land, can also create new opportunities. Especially countries such as Ghana, Togo, and Sudan have great potential in this respect. Progress in these countries can both benefit regional development and mean opportunities for companies with international investment experience in terms of product and customer diversity.’
