The Turkish trade ministry initiated efforts to pave the way for pistachio imports from Syria as rising prices with the Dubai chocolate trend challenge domestic supply, officials confirmed.
According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA), in response to significantly increased demand for pistachios, driving up prices with the growing global popularity of Dubai chocolate, the Ministry of Trade has begun assessing the situation and exploring avenues to facilitate imports from the neighboring country.
Representatives of Türkiye’s baklava industry recently called for the import of pistachios from Syria to stabilize costs.
Rising pistachio trade figures
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reveal that Türkiye imported $2.56 million worth of pistachios in 2021—a figure that rose to $3.36 million in 2023.
Over the same period, the volume of pistachio imports increased from 255.4 tons to approximately 301.4 tons.
Conversely, while pistachio exports were valued at $75.48 million in 2021, this figure climbed to $94.03 million in 2024.
However, the export volume declined from 10,176 tons in 2021 to 8,828 tons in 2024.
