Russia has emerged as Türkiye’s largest supplier of wheat. Shipments in November reached their highest level in the past year and a half, with Russia accounting for nearly 70% of Türkiye’s total grain imports.
Russia exported wheat worth $189.4 million to Türkiye in November last year, marking the highest level since the summer of 2023.
On a monthly basis, exports rose by 17%, while year on year growth surged 25 fold. In the same period a year earlier, wheat exports stood at just $7.6 million.
By late autumn, Russia was supplying approximately 70% of Türkiye’s total grain imports. More than 90% of these shipments consisted of wheat, with the remainder made up of barley, corn, and buckwheat.
In the first eleven months of 2025, Türkiye imported agricultural and food products worth around $20.5 billion, with imports of grains and raw materials increasing over the period.
The rise in agricultural imports during this time has reignited debates over Türkiye’s external dependence on staple food products such as wheat.
Wheat supplies from Russia play a critical role in meeting Türkiye’s domestic demand and are significant in terms of the country’s strategic stockpiling and supply security policies.
