Türkiye’s agricultural sector has achieved a significant milestone, registering its highest January-February export figures ever with a total value of $5.434 billion.

According to recent data, agricultural exports increased by 2.7% during the first two months of 2023, as compared to the same period last year, contributing to 16.2% of Türkiye's total export sales.

Five out of the 10 sectors operating in the field broke their export records.

The top-performing sectors during January-February 2023 were cereals, pulses, oilseeds and their products, which recorded exports worth $1.82 billion, followed by fresh fruits and vegetables at $634.488 million, olives and olive oil at $201.22 million, ornamental plants and products at $30.146 million, and furniture, paper and forestry products at $1.204 billion.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, cereals, pulses, oilseeds and their products registered a 3% increase in exports, while fresh fruits and vegetables showed a 17.9% increase. Olives and olive oil saw a 140.2% surge in exports, followed by ornamental plants and products at 7.2%, and furniture, paper and forestry products at 2.1%.

Looking at exports by country, grains, pulses, oilseeds, and their products sector achieved $296.749 million in exports to Russia, while furniture, paper and forest products brought in $129.180 million from the same country. Fresh fruits and vegetables exports amounted to $173.401 million to Russia, and the olive and olive oil sector recorded $67.417 million in exports to Spain. The ornamental plants and products sector saw $8.182 million in exports to the Netherlands.

In terms of provinces, Istanbul was the top exporter of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and their products with $562.714 million, followed by furniture, paper and forest products with $540.455 million. Southern Mersin province sold $167.872 million worth of fresh fruits and vegetables, while western Izmir exported $93.372 million worth of olives and olive oil. The ornamental plants and products sector generated $13.666 million in exports from the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya.

Meanwhile, despite the recent massive earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, which disrupted economic activities in 11 provinces, the agricultural sector in three provinces actually saw an increase in exports. Companies in Adana, Adıyaman and Kahramanmaraş reported higher export figures during the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2022.

In Adana, agricultural exports rose to $153.6 million, representing a 10.4% increase. Adıyaman's exports amounted to $2.5 million, up 25.5%, while Kahramanmaraş recorded $13.7 million in exports, an increase of 4.8%.