Analysis of Turkey's foreign trade in non-wood forest products

In Turkey, there are many non-wood forest products (NWFPs) that are being produced and sold domestically or exported. However, there are also many NWFPs that are not being properly produced; a number of potential NWFPs that could be produced; and others that are being imported from foreign countries. NWFPs have an important share in Turkey's foreign trade of forest products, especially in exports. The share of NWFPs is about 98 percent of the total forest products exports in Turkey. The exports of NWFPs are mainly to the United States, followed by Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. These exports contribute about $100 million ($US) annually to the Turkish economy. Turkey's NWFPs potential was neglected for many years, and no recent studies have been conducted on foreign trade of NWFPs. This research aims to investigate the development of NWFPs in the foreign trade of forest products, based on data from the past decade. The study indicates that NWFPs can be utilized in Turkey at regional and national levels to aid in economic development and to increase export income.