Pasta is one of the most popular foods in the world thanks to its unique characteristics like nutritious, tasteful, practical, economical, satiable and endure.
Semolina and macaroni factories were among the first branches of the food industry to be established in Turkey as of 1920. The total capacity of Turkish pasta industry, which is one of the biggest in the world, has increased 26 fold since 1922 and reached to approximately1 million tons today.
The Present production facilities of the pasta producer companies equipped with modern high-temperature lines are located mainly in the Southeastern, Central and Western Anatolia, which are the major durum wheat producing regions in Turkey.
The production is especially concentrated on Gaziantep and Izmir provinces where nearly
40% and 25% of the total output is produced respectively.
Pasta Production in Turkey by Years (Tons)
Year Production Year Production
1990 295,000 2001 445,000
1991 346,000 2002 475,000
1992 372,000 2003 438,000
1993 380,000 2004 500,000
1994 406,000 2005 *566,000
1995 439,000 2006 *614,434
1996 463,000 2007 *600,434
1997 504,000 2008 *606,620
1998 480,000 2009 *658,453
1999 510,000 2010 *740,684
2000 540,000 2011 *851,830
Source: State Planning Organization
* Union of Turkish Pasta Producers
Plain and vitamin enriched macaroni are the most popular types in Turkey. However, inrecent years, vegetable (such as tomato and spinach) and egg macaroni are alsoproduced.
Generally, the production in Turkey shows an upward trend. A continuously developingdomestic and foreign demand has allowed the industry to increase production volumesand the high technology employed has enabled companies to compete favorably indomestic and international markets. Today, Turkish pasta industry annually produces over852 thousand tons of pasta.
Pasta Exports
Turkey (has) exported mainly uncooked pasta without eggs for years. This type of pastahas constituted up to 80-90% of the total Turkish pasta exports so far. However, pastatypes other than uncooked or stuffed pasta have recently grown to become an importantproduct in Turkey’s pasta exports.
Total pasta exports of Turkey totaled 506 thousand tons and 358 million dollars in 2012both with an increase of 25% compared to the previous year.
Turkish Pasta Exports By Years
(Quantity= Tons, Value= 1,000 US $)
Years Quantity Value Years Quantity Value
1970 13 2 1996 108,894 58,106
1980 2,197 779 1997 135,989 70,129
1981 3,519 1,280 1998 90,949 45,199
1982 3,870 1,326 1999 23,987 9,984
1983 3,189 1,023 2000 25,515 9,683
1984 4,920 1,631 2001 34,284 11,586
1985 8,723 2,708 2002 48,372 16,752
1986 12,650 3,920 2003 69,071 26,848
1987 16,917 5,128 2004 126,000 50,263
1988 23,159 7,413 2005 164,413 65,507
1989 16,844 6,314 2006 191,620 80,152
1990 13,022 6,189 2007 177,971 107,889
1991 48,105 19,595 2008 175,614 181,953
1992 59,731 18,394 2009 213,516 149,432
1993 52,856 23,538 2010 297,309 185,911
1994 85,463 37,449 2011 404,087 285,305
1995 111,230 53,214 2012 506.196 358,287
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
Turkey exported pasta products to 142 countries throughout the world in 2012. The majorexport markets of Turkey have undergone remarkable changes particularly during the lastten years. While the USA and the Russian Federation have been by far the biggestdestination markets, having a share of 26.7% in 1995 and 82.5% in 1997 within total pastaexports respectively, Angola, Togo, Benin, Iraq, and Japan were recorded as the majormarkets in 2012.
Turkish Pasta Exports by Destination 2010-2012
(Quantity: Tons, Value: US$ 1,000)
Country 2010 2011 2012
Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value
ANGOLA 19.224 11.436 50.520 34.690 70.656 48.437
BENIN 19.903 11.828 29.908 20.790 39.076 26.044
IRAQ 24.874 13.800 31.172 20.590 35.771 22.263
TOGO 23.646 13.921 40.270 26.837 30.939 20.580
JAPAN 13.882 10.502 17.177 14.044 23.760 20.351
NIGER 11.378 7.303 17.819 12.719 22.744 16.628
U.A.E. 11.377 6.663 11.056 7.469 18.719 12.854
CONGO 12.996 8.112 15.035 10.667 17.009 12.253
DJIBOUTI 9.905 6.170 13.693 9.641 15.931 11.562
CAMEROON 4.110 2.516 12.187 8.383 14.822 10.130
OTHERS 146.016 93.659 165.228 119.457 216.769 157.184
TOTAL 297.309 185.911 404.064 285.288 506.196 358.287
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
Note: The countries are ranked according to their exports value in 2012.
SOURCE: TURKISH MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
