Turkey’s citrus exports reach US$880 million

Turkey is ranked eighth in the world for citrus production with a 2.7% share.  Citrus production in Turkey is 63% higher than domestic consumption. To improve production and capture new export markets, Turkish producers are searching for new varieties from other leading citrus producing countries. Top export destinations are Russia and Iraq, followed by Ukraine. Turkish citrus exporters would prefer more diversified export markets to avoid complications from any political tensions. Grapefruit exports stagnated in quantity and value in 2016/2017, while mandarin and lemon exports increased. Citrus exports were US$880 million of a total $2 billion fresh fruit-vegetable export last year. About 16% of overall exports were mandarin, 12.5% lemon and 8.5% orange. However, citrus production statistics are widely considered unreliable by producers and make it difficult to plan production for the coming years.