Iraq becomes Turkiye's largest citrus market as Turkish citrus exports rise 76 percent

Iraq was Turkiye's largest citrus market in the first half of 2026, buying $357.289 million worth of produce and accounting for 39 percent of export revenue, according to Akdeniz Exporters' Associations data reported on Sunday 2 August 2026.

Turkiye exported 807,114 tonnes of citrus worth $911.035 million from January through June 2026, up 76 percent from $518.768 million during the same period in 2025. Russia ranked second with purchases worth $235.615 million, followed by Ukraine at $47.288 million, Poland at $41.203 million and Romania at $36.265 million.

By product, mandarins generated $532.309 million, the largest share, followed by lemons at $213.383 million, oranges at $110.430 million and grapefruit at $54.659 million. Kemal Kacmaz, deputy chairman of Turkiye's National Citrus Council, attributed the sector's competitiveness to product quality, production standards, packaging and flavour, and expected output to rise during the season beginning in September and October, barring extreme temperatures or other natural disasters.