Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey is now among the top ten seed-producing countries in the world, with its seeds reaching 117 countries. He shared expectations of record-breaking production levels for wheat, barley, and other agricultural crops this year.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Erdogan made these statements during an event organized by the Turkish Agricultural Bank in Istanbul. He expressed optimism about the ongoing harvest season, highlighting the promising results Turkish farmers are witnessing in their production efforts.

Erdogan further elaborated that Turkey produces 206 varieties of agricultural products and maintains self-sufficiency in many of them. He highlighted Turkey's global standing, ranking third in vegetable production, fourth in fruit production, and being among the top three producers for 21 other plant-based crops.

On the economic front, Erdogan reported that the country's exports surged by 21.9% in June compared to the previous year, amounting to $24.94 billion. He added that exports for the first half of the year increased by 3.6% to $136.59 billion. Specifically, exports of agricultural and food products rose by 23.3% in June, reaching $2.8 billion, and for the first six months, they totaled $16.3 billion, marking a 3.3% year-on-year rise.

Erdogan also highlighted that Turkey concluded 2025 with a foreign trade surplus of $6.5 billion in the agricultural and food sector. The sector recorded a surplus of $693 million during the first half of 2026.

Addressing inflation, Erdogan noted that the inflation rate in June was 0.99%. He expressed hope that these economic indicators would bolster the Turkish economy's performance moving forward.