Turkey's Strawberry Exports Rise 56% in 2026

Turkey's fresh strawberry exports rose 56% to $20.87M in early 2026 even as volume fell 32% — the price story behind the numbers.

Strawberry is one of the more delicate items in Turkey's fresh produce portfolio, and the first four months of 2026 show that clearly in the trade data: export value rose sharply even as the volume behind it moved in the opposite direction.

A 56% jump built on higher prices, not more volume

According to Cengiz Balık, president of the Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association (EYMSİB), Turkey's fresh strawberry exports reached $20,871,000 in January-April 2026, up 56% year-on-year. Shipped volume moved the opposite way, falling 32% to 6,608 tons — a result of lower crop yields, firmer strawberry prices, and a domestic market pulling more of the harvest away from the export channel.

Working through those two changes together implies the average export price climbed sharply, roughly doubling from an estimated $1.38/kg to about $3.16/kg. That figure isn't directly reported — it's a straightforward read of the reported value and volume changes — but either way, the direction is unambiguous: this season's growth is a price story, not a tonnage story.

Fresh and frozen both grew — frozen even faster in dollar terms

Fresh wasn't the only strawberry category moving in 2026: frozen strawberry exports reached $59,000,000 in the same four-month period, up 44% year-on-year, meaning frozen already outsold fresh in export value this season. Canada was the standout market, with frozen strawberry exports there alone doubling to $16,000,000; Germany, the United States, and Italy round out the other leading destinations for frozen product.

Where Turkish strawberries grow

The Aegean region alone accounts for about 27% of Turkey's total strawberry production, with its own fresh strawberry exports reaching $4,676,000 in the period, up 50%. Production spreads well beyond the Aegean too — from the Mediterranean coast to the Aegean and Marmara. Protected cultivation (greenhouses and low tunnels) in Silifke (Mersin) allows an early harvest at the end of winter; Sultanhisar (Aydın) — now Turkey's third-largest center for covered strawberry production, after Mersin and Antalya — supplies the spring window; and plantings in Bursa and highland areas extend picking into summer. Because strawberries don't ripen after picking, harvest timing directly determines eating quality — fruit is picked by hand with the calyx attached, just before full coloring.

Who's buying

Turkish strawberries reach around 40 countries. Russia is by far the largest buyer of fresh strawberry, accounting for 69% of export value, with Georgia, Iraq, and Malaysia rounding out the other leading destinations. EYMSİB has set a $50 million export-value target for strawberry in 2026.

A production base with real scale behind it

The export growth sits on top of a substantial production base: Turkey produced roughly 606,000 tons of strawberries in 2024 and about 595,000 tons in 2025, placing it among the world's top five producers, behind China, the United States, Egypt, and Mexico.

Tracking what goes into the crop

Sustainable growth in strawberry exports depends as much on production discipline as on tonnage. EYMSİB's "We Know the Pesticides We Use" project has collected more than 400 samples from strawberry-growing fields over the past two years, with laboratory analysis carried out alongside agricultural engineers, universities, and Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to map pesticide residue across production areas — the kind of documentation buyers increasingly ask for alongside the fruit itself.

Strawberry remains one of the more demanding fruits to export — an extremely delicate crop that needs careful handling and rapid pre-cooling at every step, since respiration losses set in fast once it's off the plant. Visit our strawberry product page for variety details, and check our Seasonal Calendar for current supply status.

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