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Türkiye generated $60.989 million from exports of 18,301 tons of dried tomatoes to 91 countries in the first half of 2026, according to data from the Aegean Exporters’ Associations.
Türkiye is the world’s third-largest tomato producer after China and India, with annual production exceeding 14 million tons.
Tomatoes grown in the country are consumed fresh and processed into value-added products such as tomato paste, sauces and dried tomatoes.
Dried tomatoes rank among the leading value-added tomato products, with most production carried out in Antalya, Mersin and Izmir.
Türkiye exported dried tomatoes to 91 countries in the January-June period.
The United States was the top market with $16.053 million in exports, followed by Italy with $8.864 million and the United Kingdom with $5.344 million.
Dried tomatoes prepared in different parts of Türkiye reach many markets, especially European countries and the United States, where they are used in products such as pasta, pizza, salads and hamburgers.
The export journey of tomatoes harvested in many provinces begins in July with a difficult production process under the scorching sun.
Tomatoes transported from fields to drying areas by trucks and tractors are cut in half one by one by workers.
Depending on customer demand, the tomatoes are salted or treated with sulfur, kept under the sun for about a week, then cleaned and packaged at processing facilities.
Abdulvahap Olgun, chairman of the board of Izmir's Torbali Chamber of Commerce, told Turkish news agency Anadolu that the district leads dried tomato production and that this year has brought an abundance of products.
Olgun said dried tomatoes provide significant income for producers and exporters.
“The dried tomatoes we export are used in pizza, sauces and pasta in Italy,” he said.
“Italy is famous for its pasta. There are dried tomatoes from Türkiye in that pasta,” he added.
Olgun said dried tomato consumption has recently begun to increase in the United States and Brazil, where the product is also used in hamburgers.
“In the first half of the year, we have exports at the level of $60 million,” he said. “We have an export target of $100 million by the end of the year.”
Kemal Sayginer, a dried tomato producer and exporter in Izmir, said work begins at first light and continues under intense labor and scorching heat.
Sayginer said producers prepare dried tomatoes according to the countries to which they will be exported.
“There is a great deal of labor and effort,” he said.
“Afterward, we dry them here according to the countries and regions they will go to and send them to our factory,” he added.
Sayginer said the products are divided into sections according to quality and placed in cold storage facilities to wait for incoming orders.
“On average, 1 kilogram of dried tomatoes is obtained from 15 kilograms of fresh tomatoes,” he said.
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