TARIŞ Announces Advance Price for Raisins at 80 Lira
· TMO
TARIŞ Raisin Union set a gross advance purchase price of 80 TL/kg for the 2026 seedless raisin season, regardless of quality. However, producers and agricultural chambers are awaiting a floor price announcement from the Turkish Grain Board (TMO).
TARIŞ Sets Advance Price for Raisins
TARIŞ Raisin Agricultural Sales Cooperatives Union announced the implementation principles and price policy for the 2026 seedless raisin purchase season. In its official statement, the institution declared that product purchases would commence at a gross advance purchase price of 80 TL/kg, without quality differentiation, for the new harvest period. The Union, which purchased the No. 9 product at 120 TL per kilogram last season, stated that it will continue to closely monitor market conditions and global developments. TARIŞ management indicated that the determined advance price aims to enable producer members to market their products while simultaneously maintaining the cooperative's financial sustainability.
Purchase Quotas and Delivery Terms Set
According to the institution's announcement, producer members can deliver up to 50% of the quantity of their declared 2026 harvest to TARIŞ through their respective cooperatives. For producers with outstanding debt to the cooperative, if the delivered 50% share does not cover the existing debt, additional purchases will be made to cover the debt, not exceeding the declared harvest quantity. As per the established operational calendar, the purchase appointment system will be available to producers on September 7, 2026. Physical product deliveries, conducted through affiliated cooperatives, will officially begin on September 10, 2026.
Producer Expectations and Agricultural Chamber Demands
Amidst rising costs, producers are expecting a floor price of at least 150 TL/kg. The Turkish Grain Board's (TMO) failure to announce an intervention purchase price has led to producer discontent. Highlighting input costs and inflation, Hüseyin Altındağ, Chairman of the Manisa Agricultural Chambers Provincial Coordination Board and Şehzadeler Agricultural Chamber, called upon the government and relevant institutions, stating:
"Our expectation from our President, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Minister of Treasury and Finance, and the TMO is the immediate announcement of the floor price for raisins. We expect a price increase for grapes, which were 120 lira last year, in line with the inflation and agricultural input price increase rates over the past year."
Strategic Dimension of Grape Production in Manisa
Approximately 90% of Turkey's sultana seedless raisin harvest, which holds a significant position in global markets, is produced by 50,000 producer families operating in the Manisa region. While Turkey maintains its global leadership in raisin production and export, increasing costs for diesel, fertilizer, and labor are directly impacting farmers' income balance. Sector representatives argue that premiums, difference payments, and diesel-fertilizer support must be promptly provided to producers to preserve Turkey's export advantage and production potential in global markets.
Impact of Climate Crisis on Harvest Yields
Recent meteorological anomalies, drought, and extreme heatwaves have led to fluctuations in seedless raisin production yields. Raisins, among the agricultural products most affected by the climate crisis, recorded a historical peak of 328,000 tons in the 2014-2015 period. However, due to a severe frost disaster in the 2025-2026 production season, the total production is estimated to have fallen to around 160,000 tons. This volume marks one of the lowest harvest levels in recent years.
Balance Between Quantity and Revenue in Raisin Exports
Data from the Aegean Dried Fruit and Products Exporters' Association indicates that there isn't always a direct correlation between product quantity and foreign exchange earnings. For instance, in the 2013-2014 season, 184,946 tons of exports generated $459,638,000, while in the 2014-2015 season, despite an increase in export volume to 259,415 tons, foreign exchange earnings only reached $466,913,000. In contrast, during the 2024-2025 period, despite the lowest export volume in 25 years at 153,593 tons, export revenue reached a record $546.5 million due to achieved unit prices.
Changes in Seven-Month Export Figures
Weekly tracking data from the Aegean Dried Fruit and Products Exporters' Association reveals the unit price pressure on the foreign trade balance for 2026. In the January-July 2025 period, $281,390,000 in foreign exchange revenue was generated from 77,397 tons of exports. In the same seven-month period of 2026, export sales increased by 6% in volume to 81,865 tons; however, the revenue generated decreased by 9% to $256,688,000. The data shows a decline in the unit foreign exchange value of exported products despite the increase in tonnage.
Global Markets and Top Export Destinations
Turkey exports its seedless raisins to over 80 countries, with European countries forming the core of its main market structure. In the 2024-2025 season, when products were delivered to 84 countries, the United Kingdom remained the largest foreign market with purchases totaling $169,304,000. The UK was followed by the Netherlands with $64.3 million, Italy with $51 million, Germany with $48 million, and France with $33 million. The top ten countries also included Spain, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Belgium.
Need for Medium and Long-Term Policies in the Sector
The dried fruit sector requires long-term agricultural policies that coordinate production planning with exports, rather than focusing solely on price discussions during the harvest season. The loss of income for producers facing cost pressures risks a contraction of vineyard areas, while the balance between traders seeking to maintain competitiveness in foreign markets and farmers in the field can be sustained through public support. Following TARIŞ's announced advance price, the sector's attention has turned to the steps the TMO will take.