Turkey lifts 16-month bread wheat export ban, TMO to allow shipments from 29 July

Turkey reopens bread wheat exports after 16-month ban

Turkey's state grain board, the Toprak Mahsulleri Ofisi (TMO), has lifted the ban on bread wheat exports, allowing shipments to resume from 29 July. The restriction had been in force since March 2025. The decision was reported by haberankara.com, citing an announcement published on the TMO website.

According to the notice, the ban had originally been introduced to preserve balance in the domestic market. TMO said the reopening reflected an assessment of domestic production, existing stocks and domestic consumption needs, and concluded that supply security had reached a sufficient level to permit exports of bread wheat and wheat broken again as of 29 July.

Exports resume under state control

The reopening does not amount to a full liberalisation. TMO stated that exports will proceed in a “controlled and balanced” manner, with the board evaluating each application against the domestic supply situation before issuing approval. Applications must be submitted through the General Secretariat of the Central Anatolian Exporters' Associations (OAİB).

Bread wheat and wheat broken remain within the scope of the Communiqué on Goods Subject to Registration for Export, meaning that shipments continue to require the board's favourable opinion. In effect, exports are permitted again but the state retains a gatekeeping role over volumes and timing.

A policy built around bread prices

The export controls were part of a wider set of measures aimed at keeping bread prices and production costs from rising in Turkey, according to haberankara.com. The decision to close bread wheat exports in March 2025 had been taken within that framework, prioritising domestic bakers and consumers over foreign sales during a period when the government sought to contain food inflation.

TMO said it would continue to pursue policies that protect the interests of both producers and consumers, support market stability and prioritise food supply security. The board framed the July decision as consistent with that mandate rather than a shift away from it.

What the reopening signals

By allowing bread wheat to move abroad again, TMO is signalling that it now views domestic stocks and the incoming crop as adequate to cover consumption while leaving a surplus for export. The controlled mechanism gives the board the option to slow or halt approvals quickly if the domestic balance tightens, without reimposing an outright ban.

For trading partners, the change restores access to a supplier that had been closed for well over a year. The pace of shipments, however, will depend on how TMO reads the supply picture week to week, keeping export volumes tied to Ankara's judgement rather than to market demand alone.