Turkey’s flour exports plunge 39% in Q1 2025 amid wheat import ban
This downturn is attributed to wheat import restrictions imposed in June 2024, which disrupted the supply chain for flour producers.
TURKEY – Turkey’s flour exports plunged 39.7% in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, falling to 605,000 tons from the previous year, according to figures from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM).
The drop pushed export revenue down to US$232.4 million and reduced flour’s share of Turkey’s total cereal exports to just 7.2%. This downturn is attributed to wheat import restrictions imposed in June 2024, which disrupted the supply chain for flour producers.
According to the industry, the ban, originally imposed in June 2024 by the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) to protect domestic farmers, compelled millers to rely heavily on domestic wheat, affecting their competitiveness in international markets.
Under the restrictions, import quotas were capped at 15% before rising to 25% in October. The ban was completely lifted on March 19 under the Inward Processing Regime, which now allows quota-free wheat imports for manufacturers, signaling a potential turning point for the industry.
“This restores our ability to compete globally, recover lost markets, and ramp up sales,” said Gürsel Erbap, President of the Turkish Grain Suppliers Association (HUBUDER). “With access to competitively priced global wheat, we’re ready to reclaim our footing.”
Industry players believe the removal of the restrictions comes just in time to salvage the year.
Ahmet Tiryakioğlu, Chairman of the TİM Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds, and Processed Products Sector Council, noted that the ban cost the industry roughly 600,000 tons in lost flour exports.
He expects full-year flour shipments to exceed 3.5 million tons, with Syria identified as a key growth market. “As the world’s top wheat flour exporter, Turkey’s policy decisions have global ramifications,” he said.
Dr. Eren Günhan Ulusoy, Eurasia Director of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM), warned that countries like Egypt had seized the opportunity to expand into markets traditionally held by Turkish flour during the ban.
“The risk of losing regional market share was real, but lifting the ban now sets the stage for Turkish flour to regain its international edge,” he said.
Despite the slump in flour exports, Turkey’s broader cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and processed products sector showed resilience.
The category posted a 3.9% year-on-year increase in first-quarter exports, totaling US$ 3.2 billion. Cereal exports rose 5.3% to 3.4 million tons, bolstered by robust demand for chocolate and cocoa-based products (US$ 292 million) and sunflower oil (US$ 270.4 million). Iraq led all export destinations with US$ 539.1 million in imports from Turkey.
One standout market was the United States, where Turkey’s cereal exports jumped nearly 20% to US$200 million in Q1.
Tiryakioğlu credited the growth to favorable tariffs—20% on EU imports and 26% on Indian goods—and shifting consumer preferences in the U.S.
“Demand is growing for healthy, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly products like bulgur, chickpeas, and lentils. These align perfectly with modern dietary trends,” he said.
“But the U.S. is a tough market, complex, competitive, and sensitive. Getting on shelves is just the start; staying there requires sharper branding, packaging, and pricing strategies,” he added.
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