Türkiye’s peach and nectarine exports: An empirical analysis with normalized revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) indexes

The objective of this study was to examine the competitiveness of Türkiye in peach and nectarine exports through the use of normalized revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) indexes, encompassing cross-product group, cross-country, and cross-period comparisons. For this purpose, calculations were made based on HS-6 coded peach and nectarine, apricot, cherry, sour cherry and plum foreign trade data of Türkiye, Spain, the USA, Chile, Italy and Greece for 2001-2023. The study indicates that Türkiye's comparative advantage in peaches and nectarines increased significantly after 2016. The cross-product group comparison indicates that Türkiye has a competitive advantage in peaches and nectarines relative to other stone fruit exports, including apricots, cherries, and plums. However, especially in recent years, Türkiye has been at a comparative disadvantage in peach and nectarine exports relative to cherries. Regarding cross-country comparison, Türkiye has a comparative advantage over other major peach and nectarine exporters (Italy, Chile, USA and Greece). On the other hand, Türkiye has a comparative disadvantage compared to Spain, the world's largest exporter of peaches and nectarines. In terms of periodic comparison results, Türkiye has increased its competitiveness during the analysis period compared to previous years. To maintain and stabilize competitiveness, more exports are needed to different markets, particularly Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Saudi Arabia.