Turkish produce exports hit $2 billion mark in first half

Turkish exporters deliver more than 1.7 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables to foreign markets in the first half of 2026.

Turkish exporters shipped a total of 1.72 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables to dozens of countries and regions during the first half of 2026, daily Milliyet has reported.

The sector generated $2.35 billion in export revenue in the January-June period, pushing fresh fruit and vegetable exports above the $2 billion mark for the first time in a six-month period.

Export revenue increased from $1.69 billion in the first half of 2025 to $2.35 billion this year.

Beyond the rise in export earnings, one of the most notable developments was the increase in the value of exported products. Turkish exporters generated nearly $700 million more revenue in the first half of 2026 despite exporting 100,000 fewer tons of produce. As a result, fresh fruit and vegetable exports were sold at nearly 40 percent higher value compared with the previous year.

Hayrettin Uçak, chairman of the Turkish Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters’ Associations Sector Board, said: “We achieved a 39 percent increase and generated nearly $663 million in additional export revenue.”

“The increase in exports during the first half was driven by strong demand from foreign markets, high yields across many products and the trade network established by Turkish exporters. We want exports to exceed $4 billion by the end of 2026,” he added.

In the previous season, cherry production fell to almost negligible levels following severe frost damage, making cherries one of the hardest-hit products. However, the recovery recorded this season was reflected not only in the domestic market but also in export markets. Cherries emerged as a standout product in Türkiye’s fruit exports.

The sector, which has been working to resume cherry exports to China, is also focused on increasing shipments to a number of distant markets.

Citrus products, for which Türkiye is one of the world’s leading producers, once again underpinned export performance. Among product categories, citrus generated the highest export revenue, reaching $911 million.

The value of citrus exports rose 76 percent from the same period last year and accounted for 39 percent of total fresh fruit and vegetable exports.

During the same period, fresh fruit exports increased 38 percent to $758 million, while fresh vegetable exports rose 10 percent to $668 million.

Among processed product categories, apple juice, pickles and dried tomatoes accounted for a significant share of exports. Strong demand from Germany, the United States and Russia stood out.

Sector representatives said interest in these products has been increasing, particularly in the United States, where pickle consumption is especially high.