ISTANBUL: After a record 3.66 million tons in flour exports in 2023, this year Türkiye aims to top four million tons, said the head of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) on Thursday.
Eren Gunhan Ulusoy said Turkish flour producers export products to 164 countries. Türkiye’s flour exports jumped 60% in February after a rise of 22% in January, the group said. For the last nine years, Türkiye has been the world’s largest flour exporter.
Some 90% of the world population consumes Turkish flour, Ulusoy added. Türkiye earned $1.5 billion from flour exports last year. 2023 was a good year for exports, and Türkiye got a fast start in 2024, he noted, adding: “This January, with 344,000 tons of exports, we boosted our exports 22% compared to the previous January.
“This February, with 322,000 tons of exports, we achieved a 60% rise in our exports on quantity basis compared to last February.” In 2024, the sector aims to export over 4 million tons of flour, he underlined.
He also highlighted that Türkiye’s flour exports rose 11-fold over the last two decades, including pasta rising 30-fold, bulgur 15-fold, semolina fivefold, and cookie fourfold. Türkiye this year is expected to produce 22-23 million tons of wheat, he added.
