Turkey’s cotton import bill reaches $1.74 billion as domestic output falls

Cotton acreage contracts as textile demand weakens

Turkey imported 1 million tonnes of cotton worth $1.74 billion after domestic output fell below 1.5 million tonnes this year, according to remarks reported by Dünya from the Turkey Cotton Summit in İzmir. The figures highlight the widening gap facing a country that combines a large textile manufacturing base with significant domestic cotton production.

Uğur Erdem, director general of plant production at Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, said global market conditions and a contraction in textile consumption had caused a serious decline in the country’s cotton planting area over the past three years. The reduction in acreage has increased the industry’s reliance on foreign supply at a time when growers are also dealing with climate, water and disaster risks.

Turkey remains a major and productive cotton grower

Global lint cotton production reached 26 million tonnes in the 2024-2025 season, Erdem said. Turkey ranked seventh worldwide for lint cotton output and third for yield, indicating that its production challenge is not simply one of farm productivity. The immediate issue is the amount of land remaining under cotton as market conditions influence growers’ planting decisions.

The decline has implications beyond farms. Cotton is a core raw material for Turkey’s textile and apparel supply chains, and lower domestic availability leaves processors and manufacturers more exposed to imported fibre, foreign pricing and currency movements. The $1.74 billion import bill shows the financial scale of that exposure, while the 1-million-tonne import volume demonstrates how much material must be secured from outside the country.

Erdem said cotton production should be restored to a more balanced level within Turkey. He identified quality standards, preferential use of certified products in supply chains and the reflection of certification in prices as important conditions for sustainable production. Efficient water use, soil protection, record-keeping, controls and certification were also presented as tools for managing pressure from climate change, water scarcity and natural disasters.

Certification agreement targets global buyers

At the summit, Turkey’s National Cotton Council, known as UPK, and the Better Cotton Initiative signed a Standard Recognition Protocol. The agreement is intended to support a process under which Turkish cotton produced through Good Agricultural Practices can be recognized as equivalent to the BCI standard.

Officials expect the cooperation to diversify certified and contract production, open new market opportunities for growers and help Turkish cotton gain a larger place in the supply chains of global brands. Recognition alone will not reverse the acreage decline, but it could improve the commercial position of compliant cotton if buyers reward certification through purchasing preferences and prices. For producers, the central question is whether that market access provides enough value to offset water constraints, production risks and the relative attractiveness of alternative crops. For mills and exporters, stronger domestic supply would reduce part of the procurement exposure reflected in the current import bill.