Türkiye increases durum wheat imports 14.7-fold on cheaper foreign supply

Türkiye sharply increased its purchases of durum wheat on the international market, with imports rising 14.7-fold. One of the key drivers was the wide gap between domestic and global grain prices, alongside eased import restrictions for processors using foreign wheat to produce goods for export.

In autumn 2026, milling wheat on Türkiye’s domestic market was priced at around $380/t EXW, while imported grain delivered to Turkish ports cost about $295/t CIF. The resulting price gap of roughly $80–90/t made imported raw material significantly more attractive for processors.

Another incentive was the removal of restrictions under the Inward Processing Regime (DIR). The scheme allows Turkish flour mills and pasta producers to import wheat duty-free, provided that the flour, pasta or semolina produced from it is subsequently exported.

Strong demand for durum is also linked to the expansion of Türkiye’s pasta industry, whose production capacity is expected to reach 3.5 mln tons per year. In addition, prolonged spring rains in some regions reduced the quality of the domestic crop, increasing demand for high-protein durum wheat for pasta production.

As a result, Türkiye is increasingly using cheaper imported grain to produce higher value-added products for export.

Tags: Turkey, wheat, imports, durum