Turkey and the United States were the world’s leading raisin exporters in 2023, according to data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
While external sales of raisins from Turkey grew 6%, to $508 million, those originating in the United States declined 22%, to $175 million.
The Aegean region is Turkey’s most important grape-producing region and the main production area for seedless grapes used for raisins.
World raisin exporters
Raisins are eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing. This dried fruit is an ingredient in breads and cookies. It is also used in salads, granola, meats and desserts.
The following are the top 5 raisin exporting countries in the world, with their 2023 external sales, in millions of dollars and year-on-year growth rate:
- Turkey: 508 (+6 percent).
- United States: 175 (-22%).
- Chile: 143 (+11 percent).
- South Africa: 116 (+5 percent).
- Afghanistan: 105 (-3.9 percent).
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), table grapes account for approximately 53 percent of Aegean grape production, while raisin grapes account for 38 percent (29 percent for seedless raisins (sultanas) and 9 percent for seeded raisins), with the remaining 9 percent used for wine production.
Turkey is the world’s leading exporter of raisins, accounting for approximately 30% of total world raisin exports.
In the last 10 years, Turkey exported approximately 240,000 metric tons of raisins per year, with an average value of US$458 million per year.
Its main destinations are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and France.
U.S. raisin exports are sold mainly in Japan, Canada, Sweden, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Turkish production
Mehmet Ali Işık, chairman of the Aegean Fruits and Dried Products Exporters Association, said his goal is to increase dried fruit exports to $1.8 billion by 2024.
In 2023, the sector’s exports decreased 3% percent in volume terms, from 497,637 to 482,744 tons.