Turkish Chocolate and Confectionery Product Exports on the Rise

Turkish confectionery and chocolate sector sweetened the world's palate. Turkish chocolate and confectionery exporters achieved USD 1.276 billion in exports in 2020, despite the shadow of the pandemic. The sector is targeting USD 1.5 billion in exports for 2021.

According to data from Aegean Exporters Associations, the Cereals, Legumes, Oilseeds and Products Sector accounted for 41% of Turkey's USD 17.785 billion in food product exports in 2020 by itself.

The confectionery products sector achieved USD 644 million in exports, while the chocolate confectionery products sector achieved USD 633 million in exports.

The confectionery products sector's total exports in 2020 rose from USD 1.268 billion in 2019 to USD 1.276 billion in 2020.

Mustafa Terci, Chairman of Aegean Cereals, Legumes, Oilseeds and Products Exporters Association, noted that they have a wide range of products spanning from cereals and their products to milling products, confectionery products to chocolate confectionery items, vegetable oils to spices. He stated that the Cereals, Legumes, Oilseeds and Products Sector earned USD 7.3 billion in foreign currency for Turkey in 2020, with USD 1.276 billion of this exports coming from the confectionery products sector.

Noting that Turkish confectionery products sector exports to 185 countries worldwide, Terci said: "The fact that a vaccine for COVID-19 has been developed and is being deployed globally in 2021 gives hope to our export sectors. For this reason, an 8% increase is forecast in global merchandise trade. We believe that if exchange rates do not negatively impact our exports, our confectionery products sector will reach USD 1.5 billion in exports in 2021."

In Turkish confectionery products sector exports, chocolate and cocoa-containing confectionery products ranked as the most exported items at USD 540 million, while cocoa-free white chocolate products brought USD 476 million in foreign currency to our country.

Iraq, USA and Iran top three markets

The countries where the confectionery products sector exported the most were Iraq with USD 153 million and the United States of America with USD 143 million. Iran demanded USD 52 million in Turkish confectionery products. These were followed by Israel with USD 49 million in confectionery exports and the United Kingdom with USD 48 million.