Fresh produce exports see minimal returns: Ministter

ANKARA

Türkiye exported 4.2 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables in 2024 and 2.5 million tons in 2025, with only 0.1 percent of shipments returned, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı has said.

Responding to a parliamentary question from an opposition lawmaker, Yumaklı underlined that all exported products re-entering the country for any reason are subject to official inspections to ensure plant health and food and feed safety. He stressed that products found to be non-compliant with regulations are not permitted to reenter Türkiye.

Yumaklı noted that new measures have been introduced to strengthen controls on returned exports. “Türkiye exports 2,218 types of products to 186 countries,” he said, emphasizing the scale of the nation’s agricultural trade.

Explaining the reasons why some shipments may be returned, Yumaklı pointed to commercial disputes between buyers and sellers over price, delivery time, or quality; deterioration of goods due to unsuitable or prolonged transport conditions; documentation deficiencies identified by authorities in importing countries; and regulatory issues related to food, feed, animal, or plant health.

He reiterated that despite these challenges, the proportion of returned goods remains extremely low, underscoring the reliability of Türkiye’s fresh produce exports.