Türkiye’nin Akdeniz Havzası Ülkeleri ile Turunçgil Rekabet Gücünün Karşılaştırmalı Analizi
Comparative Analysis of Türkiye's Citrus Competitiveness with Mediterranean Basin Countries

Summary/Abstract: Türkiye, a Mediterranean Basin country, possesses suitable ecological conditions for agricultural production and is a major agricultural country capable of producing most fruits and vegetables. Türkiye, with its favorable climate, rich variety and increasing foreign trade performance is also a strong player in the global citrus market. Citrus fruits, with their biodiversity, long harvest season, long shelf life, ease of transportation, and versatile uses across various sectors, are important agricultural products. Citrus cultivation in Türkiye has shown significant development in recent years, with a significant increase in the number of citrus trees. Therefore, Türkiye has the capacity to compete with other Mediterranean Basin countries in citrus production and exports. In this context, this study compares Türkiye's competitiveness in citrus exports with that of Mediterranean Basin countries. Numerous studies in the literature address the comparative analysis of agricultural products such as wheat, cotton, and vegetables from the European Union and OECD countries. Studies on citrus generally examine topics such as marketing strategies, marketing structure, and citrus fruit development, but the number of comparative studies is quite limited. This study aims to reveal Türkiye's current status in citrus production and foreign trade, compare Türkiye with countries in the Mediterranean Basin in citrus production and exports, and determine Türkiye's comparative advantage in the citrus sector. Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index was used to determine Türkiye's competitiveness in citrus exports. The study's dataset consists of citrus foreign trade values and global total foreign trade statistics for Türkiye and 10 countries in the Mediterranean Basin (Morocco, France, Spain, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Greece). The study is limited to statistical data from WITS and FAO and the specified time period. According to the analysis results covering the period 2015-2023, Türkiye has a strong comparative advantage in the citrus sector. According to the RCA values of Mediterranean Basin countries, Spain ranks third, the most important competitor to countries like Egypt and Morocco. Türkiye, with an RCA value of 10.20 in 2023, ranks fifth among highly competitive countries. Türkiye, which has a significant advantage in citrus production, needs to increase its market share, competitiveness, and export revenues in global markets. This will be possible only if the central government and industry stakeholders continue to invest in research, marketing, and infrastructure to support the growth of the citrus sector.

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