In line with its USD 500 billion export target for 2030, Türkiye is taking a number of strategic steps. To reach this target, the Ministry of Trade plans to build an export army of 200,000 people. In this context, the Ministry has announced that it will prioritise increasing the number of exporters and training exporters through projects such as the Export Academy.
Agriculture and the agricultural sector are expected to account for approximately 15% of the 2030 export target. In 2023, Türkiye's agricultural exports were recorded at USD 35,164,253,000, an increase of 2.8% on the previous year. This means that the agricultural sector's exports would have to rise from USD 35 billion to USD 75 billion. Increasing the agricultural sector's share of exports is of great importance for both economic growth and rural development.
As of 2023, the average value per kilogram of Türkiye's exports stands at USD 1.56. This figure is calculated by including the share in exports of high value-added products, including those of the defence industry, aviation, and the ship and yacht sector.
According to these data, agricultural exports need to be doubled.
Various strategies must be developed to ensure that our agricultural exports double over the next five years.
As of 2023, the quantities of agricultural products produced in Türkiye are as follows
Cereals and other crop products: 77.7 million tonnes
Vegetables: 31.8 million tonnes
Fruits, beverage and spice crops: 27.4 million tonnes
Food loss and waste from field to table in Türkiye accounts for approximately 25-30% of total production. These losses occur at the harvesting, handling, storage and transport stages. For fresh vegetables and fruit in particular, this rate ranges between 10-30%. According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) figures, our total production averages approximately 130 million tonnes, of which 30% is considered loss and waste. In this case, the agricultural production brought into the economy is approximately 90 million tonnes, and with this production we feed 100 million people a year.
As of 2023, while the average value per kilogram of Türkiye's exports, including high value-added sectors such as the defence industry, aviation, and the ship and yacht sector, stands at USD 1.56, the average value per kilogram of our agricultural products is USD 0.6-0.8. According to these data, even if we exported everything our country produces without feeding a single kilogram to our own population of 100 million, it does not seem possible for us to reach the 2030 target.
To achieve this target, it is necessary to produce and export high value-added agricultural products.
For example, this is possible by marketing lemons not as lemons, oranges not as oranges, and black cumin not only as a spice, but by extracting their active compounds and marketing them as food additives, vitamins and active ingredients for the health/pharmaceutical sector.
Some 2023 data on Türkiye's imports of food additives, vitamin raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients are as follows:
Food additives: Türkiye's imports of food additives stand at approximately USD 1.2 billion.
Vitamin raw materials: Imports of vitamin raw materials amount to around USD 500 million.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients: Imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients totalled approximately USD 2.5 billion.
In other words, in this field, where we are 99% dependent on imports averaging USD 4 billion, we have the potential both to become self-sufficient and to move from being an importer to being an exporter.
Considering that Türkiye's agricultural support budget for 2024, 91.55 billion TL, is equivalent to USD 2.6 billion, I believe we can see that this is a good figure for grasping how important it is for the USD 4 billion we pay for imports to stay in the country.
High Value-Added Agricultural Production and Marketing Model
The raw materials, knowledge, technology and potential markets needed to achieve these targets are available. Support should be provided to businesses through coordination between the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Incentives and favourable credit facilities should be offered for technology, and state-backed guarantee systems and import quota systems should be developed for foreign markets.
In addition, farmers should be supported through a contract farming model, and businesses should be encouraged to produce in this direction. With a High Value-Added Agricultural Production and Marketing Model established in this way, both farmers and businesses will gain, and a realistic and rational method will have been created for reaching the targets set by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
By creating a structure in which everyone wins, this model is the only way for Türkiye to reach its agricultural export targets. The relevant authorities must immediately and urgently set out a roadmap and deliver results on this issue.
