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Turkiye > Europe and Eurasia + Turkey

Turkiye’s cotton production in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast to increase to 865,000 metric tons (MT; 3.97 million bales), since farmers planted cotton on larger area in response to temporary cotton price hikes during the planting season and because of better yields compared to last MY due to better weather conditions.

Israel does not have a policy restricting the use of imported genetically engineered (GE) commodities or derivative products. There are no changes in Israel’s policy towards plant, animal biotechnology, and microbial biotechnology since 2023.

Türkiye’s Biosafety Law continues to threaten imports and imposes a heavy financial burden on the country’s agri-food sector. The number of approved of genetically engineered (GE) events remains arbitrarily fixed at 36 and only includes traits in corn and soy for feed use. There are no approvals for food use due to public sensitivities about the technology.

The beef sector in Israel is growing and is heavily reliant upon imports. Israel’s lack of grazing land for cattle and an increasing population are the main factors contributing to the growth in demand for beef imports.

Turkiye’s commercial apple production in MY 2024/25 is forecast to fall to a five-year low because of unusually dry and warmer weather conditions, which growers say is caused by climate change.

Amid economic headwinds, Turkiye's retail food sector continues to grow, fueled by a young population of 85 million and a rising middle class. The sector is predominantly made up of domestic discount chains, and most of the food on store shelves is produced locally.

With over 2,500 facilities, the Israeli food processing sector is an important player in the domestic economy. In 2022, Israeli food processors' annual revenue stood at $23.19 billion.

This report supplements GAIN report IS2-24-0020: Israel Adopts Additional European Union Standards for Agricultural Imports and includes translations of the documents from Hebrew to English referenced in the report.

Turkiye’s overall production of grain for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast to drop year-over-year due to drier-than-normal weather conditions across most of the country.

On August 4, 2024, the Government of Israel published the “Tenth Amendment to the Protection of Public Health (Food) – 2015” legislation under the Food Reform Law, which adopted more than 40 new food directives and regulations aligning with European Union standards.

Israel is a net importer of all major categories of food products. The Israeli food retail sector was estimated to be $20.7 billion in 2023, and during the same year, Israel imported around $4.96 million of consumer-oriented products.