Işılay Reis
Member of the Board
Reis Gıda

Türkiye has substantial capabilities in producing agricultural and food products and bringing them to global markets. Yet lasting success in those markets is no longer measured by export volumes alone. Sustainable raw material sourcing, cost management, a skilled workforce, the green transition and brand building have become central to the sector’s competitiveness. Türkiye needs to build its export strategy around reliable, sustainable, value-added production rather than low-priced products.

As a second-generation representative of Reis Gıda, founded in 1981, I have spent many years involved in the journey of rice, bulgur, pulses and other agricultural products from production to consumption. This experience has taught us that, contrary to common assumptions, exporting does not begin at the port or the customs gate.

Exporting involves far more than preparing a container and shipping it overseas. That container’s journey begins in the field and encompasses an extensive chain, from farmers to factories, quality control to packaging, and storage to certification. A disruption at any point in this chain creates cost, quality or supply problems for the exporter. The fundamental challenges of exporting therefore begin while the crop is still in the field.

Reliability is the key to a lasting presence on global shelves

Türkiye has considerable expertise in bringing its agricultural products to world markets. At Reis Gıda, we export agricultural products grown in Türkiye to 29 countries under our own brand. These markets include the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

In global competition, production alone is not enough. Products must be processed, appropriately packaged, branded and supplied consistently to international markets. When a product grown in Türkiye reaches a shelf abroad under a Turkish brand, it represents more than a commercial achievement. It also reflects our country’s production culture, quality and reliability.

The cereals, pulses, oilseeds and related products sector exported 11.407 million tonnes in 2025 and approximately 6.331 million tonnes between January and July 2026. These are significant volumes, but asking “How much did we export?” is no longer enough. What matters most is how sustainably, profitably and competitively we can maintain those exports.

Selling a product once is very different from retaining shelf space in a foreign market for years. A commitment to supplying customers consistently with the same quality, quantities and standards must be backed by a strong agricultural production and supply infrastructure. In exports, reliability is the most valuable asset.

Sustainable exports depend on sustainable raw material supplies

Access to sustainably sourced raw materials is among the most important factors shaping the future of agricultural and food exports. However modern a factory may be, it cannot maintain consistent standards in global markets without reliable supplies of raw materials of the required quality.

Drought, yield losses and regional differences in quality affect farmers first, followed by processors and exporters. Agricultural production planning and export policy therefore cannot be considered independently.

Türkiye needs data-driven planning to determine which crops can be grown most efficiently in each region, which varieties deliver higher yields, how water resources should be used, what seed supplies are needed and how industry’s future raw material requirements will be met. Production planning must address not only the current season but also the long-term needs of industry and export markets.

Rising costs are squeezing competitiveness

Increases in agricultural input costs feed directly into raw material prices. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s Agricultural Input Price Index for June 2026, agricultural input prices rose by 32% year on year, while fertiliser and soil improver prices increased by 51%. For our sector, these figures are more than statistics: they are costs we encounter directly in purchasing.

The cost chain does not end when raw materials arrive at the factory. Energy, packaging, labour, laboratory testing, certification, storage, palletisation, transport, port charges and logistics all add to the total. As of June 2026, annual producer price inflation in manufacturing had reached approximately 29%, while hourly labour costs in industry rose by around 43% year on year in the first quarter.

Despite all these increases, exporters must continue to offer competitive prices in global markets. Domestic costs may rise by 30–40%, but passing those increases on to overseas customers in full can prompt them to turn to suppliers in other countries. Winning back a lost export customer can sometimes be harder than finding a new one.

What is lost may be more than an order; it may be a commercial relationship built over five or ten years. Once customers begin working with another supplier, they adjust their shelf space, ordering systems and pricing policies accordingly, while consumer habits also adapt. When you lose shelf space that took years of effort to secure, another country or brand fills the gap. Policies designed to maintain domestic supply and price stability must therefore also take continuity in export markets into account. Predictability is one of exporters’ most important needs.

Financing must reflect harvest and production cycles

The agricultural and food sector has a different financing structure from many other industries. A substantial share of the products to be sold throughout the year must be purchased during the harvest season. Those products are bought, stored, processed, packaged and exported, while payment may arrive weeks or even months later. Producers and exporters carry the entire financing burden in the meantime.

For this reason, financing agricultural and food exports should not be treated like an ordinary commercial loan. The sector needs accessible, longer-term financing models aligned with the harvest calendar. At certain times, financing costs can exceed the potential profit from exporting. To preserve competitiveness, financing instruments must be aligned with production, storage and payment collection cycles.

Skilled people are becoming a new source of competitive advantage

Technological change in the food sector is also changing the skills required of its workforce. Factories now need more than production staff: they need people who understand automation systems, can interpret production data and are familiar with quality and food safety requirements.

Food engineers, foreign trade specialists, data analysts and digital marketing professionals have also become important contributors to export competitiveness. In the years ahead, competition will increasingly extend beyond capital to the ability to attract and develop skilled people. Technology can be purchased and machinery sourced from anywhere in the world. But without training people to use that technology effectively, investments will not deliver the expected returns.

Climate change has become a direct export risk

Drought, pressure on water resources, extreme heat and sudden weather events directly affect agricultural production and crop yields. Particularly for crops closely dependent on water, such as rice, production techniques that use less water, appropriate variety selection, modern irrigation systems and regional production planning have become necessities.

For exporters, climate change means raw material risk. Raw material risk, in turn, means higher prices, inventory problems and lost customers. Climate adaptation policies must therefore be a core component of Türkiye’s export strategy as well as its agricultural policy.

The green transition offers Türkiye a significant opportunity

The global trading system is changing rapidly around sustainability. Following the climate crisis, the pandemic, wars and supply chain disruptions, the European Union’s agricultural and food policies aim to make production more resilient and reduce dependence on external suppliers.

This transition brings both risks and significant opportunities for Türkiye. Europe is one of our most important export markets. Quality, traceability, product safety and environmental performance have become integral to export competitiveness.

Although the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism currently covers only certain sectors, it signals the direction of global trade. Measuring and reporting carbon emissions across supply chains, alongside compliance with sustainability standards, will become increasingly important. We should view the green transition as more than a cost: it is one of the conditions for retaining a place in global markets in the future.

We must capture more value through Turkish brands

Türkiye is a strong agricultural producer. In this new era, however, we must discuss not only how much we produce but also how much of the value we create reaches world markets through Turkish brands.

There is a substantial difference in added value between exporting a product as a raw material and placing it on global shelves under a brand associated with quality, traceability and reliability. Today’s consumers look beyond price. They also consider a product’s origin, how it was produced, its sustainability, packaging and nutritional value, as well as their trust in the brand.

Türkiye can compete successfully in many countries around the world. But we must build our export competitiveness on reliable, sustainable, value-added products rather than low prices. Lasting success will come not simply from reducing prices, but from quality, trust and strong Turkish brands.