Oil is among the nutrients that the body needs most if used in sufficient proportions. In addition, oil is a type of nutrient that adds flavor and taste to food. Turkey is one of the most important producers of vegetable oil. Sunflower is the plant with the largest planting and production area in Turkey. Turkey meets 50% of its vegetable oil production from sunflowers. Turkey continues to make significant development to improve oil production and exports.
According to the current data announced on June 28, 2021, Turkey exported 503.8 million dollars of vegetable oil to 140 countries. The countries with the highest demand for vegetable oil are Djibouti, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and Yemen. In 2021, Iraq imported vegetable oil worth $84 million, Syria $51 million, and Libya $50 million. Also, sunflower is the most prominent product in export among vegetable oils. In the first four months of 2021, sunflower seed oil exports amounted to 118 thousand tons.