The Ministry of Trade will make the final decision on the export start date, which is defined as the first ship date for dried figs.
Mehmet Ali Işık, President of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association and Sustainability and Organic Products Coordinator of the Aegean Exporters' Association, stated that the 2024/25 season was difficult for dried figs. He added that the frequency of aflatoxin and ochratoxin controls in the European Union was increased in the 2025/26 season. He also stated that all countries in the world, especially the UK, Switzerland, and EFTA countries, in addition to EU countries, have begun to demand EU standards. He also stated that producers, traders, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Commerce, and exporters will take joint steps to further enhance overall quality in order to avoid export problems in the European Union, the largest export market for Turkish dried figs, and in other markets.
Işık stated, "We want everyone to know that we, as exporters, cannot carry the burden of dried figs alone. This is a process from farm to table. In our meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, we emphasized that the issues affecting traders and intermediaries will also impact producers. We requested that produce be kept in crates in warehouses, that product should not be spilled on the ground, and that blending should be avoided. We also asked traders to check for aflatoxin before collecting and storing figs. We suffered financial and moral losses in 2024. Conditions necessitate joint action. The era of profiting from harvesting is over. Dried figs are a boutique product. We must be meticulous in processing and analyze every product we receive. The frequency of inspections has increased, and with disciplined work, we will try to reduce the frequency again. We are asking traders to install darkrooms."
Işık also spoke about the first shipment of dried figs, which was scheduled for October 15, 2025, and concluded: “We have given our farmers sufficient time to sort the dried figs suitable for export. By fulfilling our responsibilities as stakeholders in the sector, we can transform the 2025/26 harvest into added value. We wish all our producers, traders, and exporters a fruitful season.”
Dried fig exports reached 58 tons
In the 25/2024 season, which began on September 2024, 25, and ended August 30, 2025, Turkey exported 58 tons of dried figs, generating $903 in foreign currency. Dried fig exports reached $353, equivalent to 912 tons in the same period of the 2023/24 season.
While dried fig exports decreased by 5 percent in quantity, foreign exchange earnings increased by 25 percent.
The country with the most dried fig exports was the United States with $81 million, followed by France with $42,5 million and Germany with $40,3 million.
Source: HORECA Trend and EIB
