Competitiveness of the Turkish Agri-Food Sector in Trade with the European Union

The purpose of this study was to assess the competitive position of the Turkish agri-food sector in trade with the European Union. The study focused on agri-food products arranged as per the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS 1-24), and relied on data collected in two years, 2010 and 2022, retrieved from UNCTAD and Eurostat resources. The authors used the Widodo product mapping scheme to arrange the products. The results provide grounds for concluding that Turkey and the EU witnessed growth in bilateral agri-food trade. Between 2010 and 2022, the exports from Turkey to the EU increased by 89% whereas imports went up by 84%. In the years covered by the study, Turkey had the greatest comparative advantage and the highest degree of export specialization in the following product groups: preparations of vegetables, fruit and nuts (HS 20), fish and crustaceans (HS 03), vegetables (HS 08) and edible fruit and nuts (HS 07). Conversely, Turkey showed no comparative advantages in (and was a net importer of): cocoa and cocoa preparations (HS 18), cereals (HS 10) and meat and edible meat offal (HS 02). The mix of products traded can be viewed as rational and consistent with the classical theory of trade. Turkey’s comparative advantages provided a source of a beneficial specialization. In turn, imported products were those in which Turkey is not self-sufficient.