GLOBAL EVALUATION OF THE TURKISH PASTA INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF COMPETITIVENESS

Pasta is one of the most stable and popular foods in the daily diet for many consumers due to its good nutritional quality, low price, long shelf life, and versatility. Along with its beneficial effects on health with its low fat and available carbohydrates, pasta can also be enriched with various functional additives. According to the data for the last ten years, pasta production worldwide has increased by approximately 22%. T & uuml;rkiye ranks third in world pasta production after Italy and the United States. In this study, the pasta sector was evaluated globally, and the competitiveness of major exporting countries was analyzed. Vollrath's Relative Export Advantage Index (RXA) was used to determine competitiveness. For this purpose, indices of major pasta exporting countries T & uuml;rkiye, Italy, China, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Iran, the United States, Indonesia, Belgium, and Germany were calculated. The results showed that these countries, except the USA, China, and Germany, have a comparative advantage in pasta trade. Increasing the production of high-quality durum wheat and searching for new markets are important in maintaining a comparative advantage.