As the Turkish olive oil sector enters the final quarter of the 2024-25 export season, it exported 44,097 tons in the nine-month period. The United States was the top destination for the "liquid gold," with 19,041 tons. Of every 100 tons of olive oil Turkey exported, 43 tons went to the US. Turkey had exported 12,344 tons of olive oil to the US in the nine-month period of the 2023/24 season. Turkey's olive oil exports to the US increased by 54% in volume terms.
Turkish olive oil sector enters the final quarter of the 2024-25 export season having exported 44,097 tonnes over a nine-month period. The United States emerged as the leading destination for the golden liquid, accounting for 19,041 tonnes. Of every 100 tonnes of olive oil exported by Turkey, 43 tonnes went to the US. In the nine-month period of the 2023/24 season, Turkey exported 12,344 tonnes of olive oil to the US. Turkey's olive oil exports to the US increased by 54 percent on a volume basis.
The Turkish olive sector is reaping the benefits of a "Sectoral Trade Mission" it organized to the United States in March 2025. Besides olive oil, significant increases were recorded in table olive and olive-pomace oil exports to the US.
Between 1 October 2023 and 31 July 2024, the Turkish olive sector exported 20,270 tonnes of olive oil, table olives and olive-pomace oil to the US. In the corresponding period of the 2024-25 season, exports reached 31,565 tonnes, representing a 56 percent increase.
In the 2024/25 season, the Turkish olive sector generated USD 480 million in foreign currency from exports, with olive oil exports to the United States recorded at USD 118 million. The US became the country receiving the largest share of Turkish olive sector exports, with USD 25 of every USD 100 in export revenue coming from the US.
Uygun: "Our target is to reach 10 percent market share in the US market"
Emre Uygun, Chairman of the Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters Association, noted that the bulk of the USD 118 million in exports to the US, amounting to USD 86.218 million, comprised olive oil exports. Uygun stated, "Olive-pomace oil exports increased by 21 percent to USD 17.214 million, black olive exports increased by 16 percent to USD 10 million, and green olive exports increased by 20 percent to USD 4.2 million."
Pointing out that the US accounted for a 19 percent share of Turkish olive sector exports in the 2023/24 season, Uygun emphasized that in the 2024/25 season, USD 25 of every USD 100 in their exports were directed to the United States.
Emphasizing that the United States, with annual consumption of 370,000 tonnes of olive oil and 185,000 tonnes of table olives, ranks as the largest consumer after European Union countries, Uygun stated, "We are working to strengthen our position in the US market. During the sectoral trade mission we organized in March with the participation of 12 companies, we held more than 160 business meetings with 45 companies and 63 sector representatives from various US states. At a time when global olive oil prices reached their lowest, the sectoral trade mission we organized contributed to significant export increases to the US. This positive development has given a boost to the sector. Our target is to achieve a 10 percent market share in the US market."
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