Tomato Exports Expected to Surge to $1B Value

Tomato as a product plays an important role in almost every cuisine in the world, especially in Mediterranean cuisine. This is mainly because it is quite a variable ingredient for different types of food. It can be used raw, dried, as paste, sauce and ketchup, and has a high added value. Moreover, tomatoes are one of the most consumed fruits in the world every year.

In fact, Turkey is one of those countries where more than 6 million tomatoes are consumed every year. In more than half of the dishes of Turkish cuisine, a variety of tomatoes is used, from fried to sauce. It has become an indispensable part of Turkish cuisine culture. Both for these reasons and because of its geographical location, Turkey is one of the world’s leading tomato producers. So what are the current and potential figures on tomatoes and products made from them exported by Turkey?  

Tomato and Tomato Products Exports Increased by 20% in 2021 Compared to the Previous Year

Being one of the leading importers of tomatoes, Turkey generated 729 million dollars in revenue from the export of tomatoes and tomato products in 2021. This amount represents an increase of about 20% compared to the previous year. Exports of raw tomatoes rank first among tomato exports. Raw tomatoes account for 49.7% of total exports of tomatoes and tomato-derived products.

In 2021, tomato revenues amounted to $363 million. The year before, tomato revenues were $313 million. The increase in tomato revenue was only 16%. Last year, Turkey exported tomatoes to a total of 58 countries, with Russia being the main export destination with $68 million. Second to Russia is Romania with exports worth $58 million. Bulgaria takes third place with 41 million dollars.

Exports of Tomato-Derived Products Also Increased

As with tomato exports, there was also an increase in exports of products derived from tomatoes. After tomatoes, the most exported product was tomato paste. Exports of tomato paste increased by 32% compared to the previous year. The country to which Turkey exports the most is Iraq. Turkey exported tomato paste to Iraq which amounted to $120 million. Italy is second with $18 million, while Germany is third with $11.5 million.

The total number of countries exporting tomato paste is quite high at 122 countries, and the revenue earned from the exports is $208 million. Turkish exports of dried tomatoes increased by 17 percent in 2021, reaching $97.3 million. Exports of frozen tomatoes increased 22 percent to $39 million. The exports of tomato sauces and ketchup increased to $17 million. Peeled tomato exports were $2.8 million and tomato juice exports were $2 million.

Exports are Expected to Increase in 2022

Turkey’s tomato exports continued to run at full speed in the first month of 2022. In January 2022, tomato exports increased 23% year-on-year, reaching $43.6 million. Interest in tomato products, which are further processed in the industry and turned into value-added products, is expected to increase further in 2022. This year, Turkey has set a goal of exporting $1 billion worth of tomatoes and tomato-derived products by 2023.

Turkish Goods is Here to Provide You with the Best Quality Tomatoes

As one of the countries with the highest tomato consumption and production, Turkey is definitely a country to keep an eye on when it comes to exporting tomatoes. This is because there are numerous different options and places where you can import tomatoes from. Of course, the delivery of the products to the desired country, quality control and their reliability always raise questions, both for suppliers and product owners. It is well known that export is quite an extensive and complicated process, which definitely should be taken seriously in any case.

Turkish Goods, with its state-of-the-art products and transportation services, guarantees that you will not regret your earnings and strives to make this complicated process as simple as possible for you. Our team of professionals will find the most reliable producers, take care of quality control, inspection and accompany the shipment at reasonable prices. Basically, Turkish Goods is here to make this complicated process easier for you and provide you with the best quality products.

Turkish Goods is here for you and offers solutions to any kind of questions you might have about this process. Since Turkish Goods has one of the most comprehensive supplier databases in Turkey, which is always up to date, you can now get the most insightful information about tomatoes you want to import from Turkey.