Turkey targets Asia-Pacific seed trade growth after $106.3 million of exports to Asia

Exports to Asia exceed 40 million kilograms

Turkey is seeking to expand its seed trade across Asia-Pacific after exporting 40,384,966 kilograms of seed to Asia in 2025. The shipments generated revenue of $106,292,812, according to Manşet Haber, establishing a substantial base for the industry's next phase of regional expansion.

Iraq was the largest destination by volume, receiving 12,951,238 kilograms. Syria ranked second with 8,157,999 kilograms, followed by Uzbekistan with 2,996,981 kilograms. Cyprus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were also identified as important Asian markets for Turkish seed exporters. Together, these destinations show that Turkey's current position is strongest in nearby markets and established agricultural trading corridors.

Different regions offer different product opportunities

Turkey's leading seed exports to Asia include hybrid maize, sunflower seed for sowing, vegetable seed, cereal seed, cotton seed and alfalfa. Demand is not uniform across the continent. Field crops and planting seed carry greater weight in Central Asia and the Caucasus, where commercial agriculture creates opportunities for varieties suited to large-scale cultivation.

In China, Japan, South Korea and India, the stronger opportunity lies in higher-value vegetable seed. These markets offer a different commercial proposition: shipment volumes may not be the only measure of performance, because technical characteristics, plant health compliance and the value of individual varieties can play a larger role. Turkey is already among the world's five leading countries in tomato supply, according to Burak Gönen, president of the Turkish Seed Industry Association, giving its vegetable sector a relevant production base for developing seed business.

ASC 2026 becomes a commercial platform

Gönen said the objective in approaching Asia is to increase the commercial scale of the seed industry, bring companies into closer contact and develop a new roadmap for Turkish businesses entering the region and Asian companies coming to Turkey. The emphasis is on reciprocal trade rather than one-way market access.

The International Asian Seed Congress, ASC 2026, will be held in Turkey this year under the Asia and Pacific Seed Association. Gönen described the event as an important result of Turkey's work toward the Asia-Pacific market. Relations with the association began during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently strengthened. Both the Turkish Seed Industry Association and the Turkish Seed Union are APSA members. Turkey also hosted the International Seed Federation's World Seed Congress in Istanbul last year.

Market access depends on technology and plant health

ASC 2026 is expected to address agricultural quarantine, technical practices and industry cooperation. These issues are commercially significant because seed movement depends on phytosanitary rules and the ability of suppliers to meet destination-market requirements. International knowledge exchange is also becoming more important as producers confront soil fertility constraints, climate change, viruses and bacteria.

Digitalisation and artificial intelligence form another part of the industry's agenda. Gönen said some seed companies already use AI, although further progress is required. For Turkish suppliers, expanding beyond nearby high-volume destinations into more distant Asia-Pacific markets will therefore depend not only on sales relationships but also on technical capability, regulatory compliance and varieties matched to local production conditions.