Türkiye’s vegetable exports to Russia rise amid Iran war

ANTALYA

Russia, which for the past decade has met part of its fresh fruit and vegetable demand from Iran due to lower costs, has turned once again to Türkiye following supply problems caused by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

In recent days, exporters in Antalya have reported a surge in shipments of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplants to Russia, marking a renewed momentum in agricultural trade between the two countries.

For the past ten years, Russia has met part of its fresh fruit and vegetable needs from Iran. However, following U.S. and Israeli attacks, the country faced supply shortages and redirected its imports back to Türkiye.

However, the ongoing war has disrupted Iran’s ability to deliver sufficient quantities, prompting Moscow to redirect its imports to Türkiye.

Over the past ten days, Antalya’s wholesale market has seen increased activity, with produce packaged and dispatched to Russia via both land and sea routes. Exporting firms confirm that tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants and citrus fruits are among the leading products now being sent.

Nevzat Akcan, head of the Antalya Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Brokers Association, noted that Türkiye had largely lost the Russian market over the past decade.

“Because of low production costs, Russia was buying from Iran. But due to the war, Iran cannot supply enough products, so our exports to Russia have increased in the last 10 days. We are shipping by truck and sea and demand for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants and citrus has risen,” he said.