The Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Türkiye, which entered into force on 1 October this year, opens up new opportunities for Ukrainian agricultural producers and processors by creating more favourable conditions for access to one of the region's key markets.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
The agreement establishes an asymmetric timetable for introducing tariff preferences. For Ukrainian goods entering the Turkish market, these preferences took effect on 1 October 2026, while those for Turkish products entering Ukraine will apply from 1 January 2027.
Ukrainian businesses therefore have a three-month advantage in taking advantage of the new conditions for accessing the Turkish market before the corresponding preferences for Turkish imports come into force.
Overall, Türkiye is abolishing import duties on 10,337 product categories, covering approximately 95% of Ukraine's export product range. Tariff-rate quotas or reduced customs duties will apply to certain other goods.
The ministry noted that, given the high level of tariff protection in certain segments of Türkiye's agricultural market, where import duties can range from 30% to 225%, the new conditions create additional opportunities for Ukrainian producers and processors. However, specific preferences depend on the product category and the market access conditions established under the agreement.
Key conditions for Ukrainian agricultural products entering the Turkish market:
- Duty-free access without quotas: Zero import duties apply to a range of products, including processed oilseed and grain products such as meal, oilcake, bran and feed concentrates, as well as soybeans, rapeseed, pulses (peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans), margarine, starch, gluten, baby food, confectionery products and breeding materials.
- Preferential conditions for other products: For 1,348 agricultural product categories, the agreement provides for duty-free or preferential tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), as well as partial reductions of 20–50% in basic customs duty rates. These provisions cover wheat flour, butter, cheese, milk powder, beef, poultry meat, eggs, honey, sugar, tomato paste and juices, among other products.
- Ukraine's commitments: The agreement provides for an annual duty-free tariff quota of 50,000 tonnes for sunflower seed exports to Türkiye. According to the information provided, the quota is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Exports exceeding this volume remain subject to Ukraine's standard export duty of 10%.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy identified Ukraine's integration into the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) system as an important advantage of the agreement, as it expands opportunities for developing the processing industry.
Ukrainian producers will be able to use Turkish raw materials to manufacture finished products and export them to EU countries duty-free, provided they comply with the rules of origin and confirm the origin of goods with an EUR.1 certificate.
Last year, Ukraine exported 7.9 million tonnes of agricultural products to Türkiye, worth more than $2.2 billion. This accounted for 9.8% of Ukraine's total agricultural exports, making Türkiye the largest importer of Ukrainian agricultural products.
Ukraine recorded a positive trade balance of $1.6 billion.
