Russia has taken the first official step toward increasing its tomato import quota from Türkiye, a move expected to expand bilateral agricultural trade between the two countries, Russian media has reported.
Media reports say the Russian Agriculture Ministry has prepared a draft regulation to raise the tomato import quota from Türkiye by 100,000 tons, increasing the total limit to 600,000 tons.
Russia introduced a quota on tomato imports from Türkiye in 2015 following a diplomatic crisis triggered by the downing of a Russian military aircraft near the Syrian border.
As of Jan. 1, 2016, Russia imposed a complete ban on Turkish fruit and vegetable imports.
After prolonged diplomatic negotiations, tomato shipments from Türkiye to Russia resumed on Nov. 1, 2017, but under a strict quota system that has remained in place since then.
If approved and implemented, the new quota would significantly expand Türkiye’s export capacity to the Russian market and further strengthen agricultural trade ties between the two countries.
Türkiye exported tomatoes worth $401.19 million last year, according to official data.
During the year, Türkiye sold 402,234 tons of tomatoes to 51 countries.
Romania was Türkiye’s largest tomato export market, with purchases totaling $83.87 million.
It was followed by Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria and Germany, respectively.
Onur Girdap, head of a greenhouse investors association, said tomato exports are of strategic importance for Turkish agriculture.
Despite unfavorable weather conditions that negatively affected production last year, Girdap noted that reaching over $401 million in export revenues was a significant achievement for the sector.
He emphasized that relations with Russia have reached a positive level and expressed confidence that 2026 will be a strong year for tomato exports.
