Browse Data and Analysis

Over the last decade, with investments in domestic port infrastructure and storage and owing to Turkiye’s deeper integration in regional and global trade networks, the country has become a major hub for transshipped agricultural products, such as oilseeds, grain, pulses, tree nuts, and juice.

The South African Department of Agriculture is in the process of finalizing requirements related to “control management systems,” which may include additional requirements of documentation to support label claims for imported food products.

Turkiye’s cherry production for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast down from last year’s record, but is still the third largest on the books. Despite the contraction in production, cherry exports are forecast to hit an all-time high as growers prioritize sales abroad since it’s more profitable then selling on the local market.

On July 19, 2024, the South African government published a new sugar import tariff of R1,093 per metric ton (US$60.09/MT). This tariff change was triggered by a downward trend in global sugar prices and will apply to sugar imported into the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU).

As of May 15, 2024, Turkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry announced a ban on the importation of live cattle from the United States following confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in some U.S. lactating dairy cows.

In early August, Turkiye announced that it will open a lower-duty quota for 1.0 million metric tons of sunflower seed or crude sunflower oil equivalent, starting from January-April of next year.

Over the last couple decades, with smaller catch volumes resulting from decades of overfishing, the Turkish seafood sector pivoted and ramped up investments in aquaculture production.

In July 2024, falling global wheat prices triggered a wheat import duty of Rand 176.30 (USD 9.70) per metric ton for South Africa ending more than three years of duty-free imports. The higher import duty was introduced amid a 7 percent drop in wheat planted area for marketing year 2024/25.

This report outlines specific requirements for importing food and agricultural products into Turkiye and should be read in conjunction with the 2024 FAIRS Export Certificate report.