In the first 8 months of 2017, flour mills operating in the Southeast region of Turkey exported flour for $362 million. The largest share of exports in the region belongs to Iraq with 992 thousand tons.

Turkish flour industrialists who are members of Southeast Anatolia Exporters’ Association (GAİB) provided $ 362 million in foreign exchange by exporting 1 million 122 thousand tons of wheat flour in the first 8 months of 2017. According to the news in Sabah Daily; Iraq, which has a great place in the region’s exports, is also the biggest market for flour exports. 992 thousand tons of flour exports from the region were only exported to Iraq. Other export destinations of industrialists who export 43 thousand tons of flour to neighboring country Syria, are Africa and South Asian countries. Erhan Özmen, President of South East Flour Industrialists’ Association (GUSAD), who says that the world’s finest wheat and flour is in Turkey, said: ‘’We need to export all over the world, not just our neighbors. There are currently 150 countries to which flour is exported, but now it is time to open up to new markets. Africa is a continent demanding flour, Indonesia and Philippines have higher demand of flour. We have to get in search of a new market around here.’’