Raisins market in Turkey

Turkey is the world's largest producer and exporter of raisins, which is one of the most important traditional export products. Although raisins production worldwide has not changed much between 2016 and 2020, it averages around 1.2-1.3 million tons. Turkey, the USA, and Iran are at the top of the list of countries that produce the most raisins in the world. When we look at the average raisins production of countries in the period of 2016-2020, 23% of production is met by Turkey, 18% by the USA, 13% by Iran, and 12% by China. Turkey produces mostly raisins for export. In the period given above, the average export amount is 290 thousand tons, while domestic consumption is around 50 thousand tons. When the average raisins export values are examined in another 5-year period (2015-2019), Turkey is in the first place with a rate of 33%. This ranking is followed by the USA with 13% and Iran with 9%. Turkey earned 490 million dollars in return for 267 thousand tons of exports in 2018. Sultani Seedless raisins is the most important kind of grape for export and its production is mostly done in the regions of Manisa, İzmir, and Aydın. Turkey exports more than half of its raisin to the EU countries. The UK, Germany, and Netherlands are the biggest purchasing countries. Turkish Grain Board (TMO) sets the base price as a policy tool in raisins production. Apart from general agricultural product production support, export supports are also applied. In the marketing organization, mostly the stock market and traders dominate.