Turkish Pasta Specialty, A Wonder For Palate Taste!

Pasta is one of the most popular foods in the world thanks to its unique characteristics like nutritious, tasteful, practical, economical, satiable and endure.
Semolina and macaroni factories were among the first branches of the food industry to be established in Turkey as of 1920. The total capacity of Turkish pasta industry, which is one of the biggest in the world, has increased 26 fold since 1922 and reached to approximately1 million tons today.
The Present production facilities of the pasta producer companies equipped with modern high-temperature lines are located mainly in the Southeastern, Central and Western Anatolia, which are the major durum wheat producing regions in Turkey.
The production is especially concentrated on Gaziantep and Izmir provinces where nearly
40% and 25% of the total output is produced respectively.

Pasta Production in Turkey by Years (Tons)
Year     Production            Year      Production
1990     295,000                2001      445,000
1991     346,000                2002      475,000
1992     372,000                2003      438,000
1993     380,000                2004      500,000
1994     406,000                2005      *566,000
1995     439,000                2006      *614,434
1996     463,000                2007      *600,434
1997     504,000                2008      *606,620
1998     480,000                2009      *658,453
1999     510,000                2010      *740,684
2000     540,000                2011      *851,830
Source: State Planning Organization
* Union of Turkish Pasta Producers
Plain and vitamin enriched macaroni are the most popular types in Turkey. However, inrecent years, vegetable (such as tomato and spinach) and egg macaroni are alsoproduced.
Generally, the production in Turkey shows an upward trend. A continuously developingdomestic and foreign demand has allowed the industry to increase production volumesand the high technology employed has enabled companies to compete favorably indomestic and international markets. Today, Turkish pasta industry annually produces over852 thousand tons of pasta.
Pasta Exports
Turkey (has) exported mainly uncooked pasta without eggs for years. This type of pastahas constituted up to 80-90% of the total Turkish pasta exports so far. However, pastatypes other than uncooked or stuffed pasta have recently grown to become an importantproduct in Turkey’s pasta exports.
Total pasta exports of Turkey totaled 506 thousand tons and 358 million dollars in 2012both with an increase of 25% compared to the previous year.
Turkish Pasta Exports By Years
(Quantity= Tons, Value= 1,000 US $)
 
Years     Quantity     Value     Years     Quantity       Value
1970     13                           2             1996      108,894              58,106
1980     2,197                     779         1997      135,989            70,129
1981     3,519                     1,280     1998      90,949                45,199
1982     3,870                     1,326     1999      23,987               9,984
1983     3,189                     1,023     2000      25,515               9,683
1984     4,920                     1,631     2001      34,284               11,586
1985     8,723                     2,708     2002      48,372             16,752
1986     12,650                   3,920     2003      69,071              26,848
1987     16,917                   5,128     2004      126,000            50,263
1988     23,159                   7,413     2005      164,413              65,507
1989     16,844                   6,314     2006      191,620              80,152
1990     13,022                   6,189     2007      177,971            107,889
1991     48,105                   19,595  2008      175,614              181,953
1992     59,731                   18,394  2009      213,516               149,432
1993     52,856                   23,538  2010      297,309             185,911
1994     85,463                   37,449  2011      404,087             285,305
1995     111,230                 53,214  2012      506.196              358,287
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
Turkey exported pasta products to 142 countries throughout the world in 2012. The majorexport markets of Turkey have undergone remarkable changes particularly during the lastten years. While the USA and the Russian Federation have been by far the biggestdestination markets, having a share of 26.7% in 1995 and 82.5% in 1997 within total pastaexports respectively, Angola, Togo, Benin, Iraq, and Japan were recorded as the majormarkets in 2012.
Turkish Pasta Exports by Destination 2010-2012
(Quantity: Tons, Value: US$ 1,000)
Country                        2010                                     2011                                              2012                     
Quantity               Value     Quantity               Value     Quantity              Value
ANGOLA              19.224                   11.436   50.520                   34.690   70.656               48.437
BENIN                  19.903                   11.828   29.908                   20.790   39.076               26.044
IRAQ                     24.874                   13.800   31.172                   20.590   35.771               22.263
TOGO                    23.646                   13.921   40.270                   26.837   30.939               20.580
JAPAN                  13.882                   10.502   17.177                   14.044   23.760              20.351
NIGER                  11.378                   7.303     17.819                   12.719   22.744                 16.628
U.A.E.                    11.377                   6.663     11.056                   7.469     18.719                 12.854
CONGO                12.996                   8.112     15.035                   10.667   17.009                  12.253
DJIBOUTI            9.905                     6.170     13.693                   9.641     15.931                  11.562
CAMEROON       4.110                     2.516     12.187                   8.383     14.822                   10.130
OTHERS              146.016                 93.659   165.228             119.457   216.769               157.184
TOTAL                 297.309              185.911    404.064            285.288   506.196            358.287
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
Note: The countries are ranked according to their exports value in 2012.
SOURCE: TURKISH MINISTRY OF ECONOMY