Grain Exports Reach $10.8 Billion in 11 Months

Forex - The sector encompassing staple food products including biscuits, wheat flour, pasta, vegetable oils, as well as sugary and cocoa products reported an 11-month export of $10.8 billion. During this period, the average export price per kg rose by 1.7% to $0.87, with a total export volume of 12.4 million tons. The share of wheat flour in total cereal exports fell to 22.6% by weight, while the pasta export share in the sector increased to 10.8%. Grain merchants, who accounted for 48.7% of Turkey's agricultural exports in the 11-month period, primarily sold goods to Iraq, the United States, and Syria.

"Grain exports to the U.S. reached $583 million in 11 months." Assessing the tariff implications in the United States, which holds a 5.4% share of Turkey's grain exports, Ahmet Tiryakioğlu, President of the TIM Grain, Pulses, Oilseeds, and Products Sector Board, evaluated the potential impacts of the Trump era on global food trade: "The practices in the U.S., which has been regarded as a role model for free market economies as the world's largest importer, will significantly alter all habits in global trade. The U.S. is also one of the leading countries in the export of food items and processed food products. Serving as a major center for food trading, the U.S. will impose a 25% customs duty on agricultural products from Canada, one of its key suppliers, making the U.S. market a highly competitive arena for food exporters worldwide. In the first 11 months, our grain sector exported $583 million to the U.S., primarily in sugar and sugar-confectionery products as well as bakery items. In order to elevate this performance, our sector board members are conducting promotional activities targeting leading supermarket chains, wholesalers, and suppliers in the U.S. Our associations sought ways to increase trade across the Americas at the Americas Food & Beverage Show held in Miami this year. Various components of our food sector also represented Turkey at the Summer Fancy Food Fair held in New York this year. During this fair, our Ministry of Commerce continued to promote elite products of our food sector under the Turkish Tastes project with the support of Turquality. With the contribution of these initiatives, we aim to increase the share of the grain sector in our trade with the U.S."

"The only sector showing an increase in new orders and production is food." Highlighting that food was the only sector where new orders increased in November, according to the Sectoral PMI survey released by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Tiryakioğlu stated: "ISO data shows that the volume of new business in our sector has also risen robustly in November, and food remains the only sector where increases are observed in new orders as well as production. Alongside this positive data, it is noted that the highest increase in input costs is also found in food manufacturing. We are trying to manage this dynamic in both demand and supply processes in a balanced manner. The ongoing wars in our region have a significant impact on pricing in certain product groups. We closely monitor all developments concerning our companies, both domestically and abroad."