Türkiye's agricultural sector boosted its sales last year by approximately 3% compared to the year earlier to achieve the highest annual export of all time, according to a report on Sunday.
The sector's exports surged by 3.3% annually to $36.2 billion in 2024, according to data compiled by the Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).
Accordingly, the demand for Turkish agricultural products remained strong throughout the year, with the country also seen as a "reliable" supplier at a time when climate change and food safety issues have become more prevalent, according to the representatives from the sector.
The share of the agricultural sector in Türkiye's total exports was 16%, the data revealed. The sector closely followed the automotive industry, which, as the "exports champion," spearheaded the total foreign sales with $37.2 billion last year.
Meanwhile, two of the 10 sectors operating in the agriculture field achieved their highest annual exports of all time.
Accordingly, last year, fruit and vegetable products made exports ammounting to $2.7 billion, while dried fruit and products exported goods worth over $1.85 billion.
When looking at the countries where record-breaking sectors exported the most, the U.S. and Germany stood out.
Some $247.3 million worth of exports were made to Germany in the dried fruit and vegetable sector, and $429.4 million worth of exports were made to the U.S. in the fruit and vegetable products category.
On a provincial basis, Istanbul led the way in exports in the fruit and vegetable sector with $637 million, while the western province of Izmir stood at the forefront in the dried fruit and vegetable sector with $481.6 million.
Melisa Tokgöz Mutlu, the chairperson of the board of Istanbul Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association, stated that while climate change and food safety issues are directing countries toward more protective policies around the world, Türkiye draws attention to its potential to be a reliable and sustainable supplier.
"Our high-tech factories and our potential to produce 'tailor-made' products according to customer demand carry Türkiye to an important position in world markets. These features allow Türkiye to take important steps toward becoming not only a cheap supplier but also a reliable and sustainable business partner," she explained.
"In addition, processing agricultural products in their countries of origin and turning them into final products will become even more important regarding both shelf life and costs. Our country stands out in processing agricultural products and turning them into final products with its modern factories and strong production capacities, and offers significant competence to meet the demands in this area," she added.
Emphasizing that agricultural exports are targeted to reach $40 billion in the coming years, Mutlu said that to achieve this goal, it is critical to ensure sustainable growth in the sector, adopt climate-friendly agricultural policies and spread environmentally friendly production methods.
