Why do international pulse shipments transit through Mersin?

Mersin combines a deepwater Mediterranean container port with over 50 large-scale pulse cleaning, splitting and packaging plants. Importers utilize Türkiye's Inward Processing Regime (DİR) to import raw pulses duty-free, clean and polish them across automated optical sorters, and re-export packaged goods across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

What import documentation is required at Mersin customs?

Commercial invoice, bill of lading, packing list, certificate of origin, and an official phytosanitary certificate confirming absence of agricultural quarantine pests. Shipments entering the domestic market undergo Ministry of Agriculture sampling for moisture, aflatoxins, and pesticide residues.

What count per 100g is preferred by Turkish processors?

Turkish packagers select medium-to-large beans (480 to 520 count per 100 g) for retail bags, while industrial canners accept 500 to 540 count. Whiteness of the seed coat and sharpness of the black eye are critical aesthetic criteria.

Can CBIL arrange container freight into Mersin?

Yes. CBIL coordinates ocean container bookings from Yangon, Callao/Paita, and Toamasina into Mersin International Port on CFR or CIF terms.

Europe · Türkiye

Black-Eyed Beans Suppliers CFR Mersin, Türkiye

Raw and Sortex-cleaned cowpeas discharging at Mersin Port and Free Zone for Turkish re-cleaning, canning and regional re-export

Türkiye represents the pulse processing capital of the Mediterranean and Middle East, anchored at the Port of Mersin on the southern coast. Turkish food companies and international trading houses operate state-of-the-art optical Sortex sorting, de-hulling, polishing and canning facilities within the Mersin Free Zone (Mersin Serbest Bölgesi) and adjacent industrial parks. Black-eyed beans (cowpeas, HS 0713.35, known locally as börülce) are imported both for domestic Turkish culinary consumption and for value-added re-bagging and re-export to Iraq, Syria, the Gulf and Europe.

Containerized pulse shipments arrive via major liner services at the Mersin International Port (MIP), packed in 25 kg and 50 kg polypropylene bags or 1,000 kg big bags in 20ft dry containers (approx. 24 MT per container). Turkish import and inward processing regime (DİR - Dahilde İşleme Rejimi) regulations require phytosanitary certificates, non-GMO declarations, and compliance with Turkish Food Codex pesticide residue limits. CBIL coordinates containerized shipments of Peruvian Castilla, Myanmar double-Sortex, and Madagascar cowpeas CFR Mersin, with SGS or Intertek inspection of count per 100g, moisture (max 14.0%), and admixture (max 0.5%).

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices container freight and liner shipping on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Gateway port: Mersin International Port (MIP) & Mersin Free Zone
Strategic role: Primary pulse cleaning, splitting, canning and packaging hub for the Mediterranean
Standard sizing: 460–480 count/100g (premium) · 480–520 count/100g (commercial export run)
Primary supply origins: Myanmar · Peru (Piura) · Madagascar · Brazil · Argentina
Regulatory regime: Turkish Food Codex · Dahilde İşleme Rejimi (DİR) tax-free inward processing
Packaging format: 25 kg / 50 kg PP bags, approx. 24 MT per 20ft container

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Why do international pulse shipments transit through Mersin?: Mersin combines a deepwater Mediterranean container port with over 50 large-scale pulse cleaning, splitting and packaging plants. Importers utilize Türkiye's Inward Processing Regime (DİR) to import raw pulses duty-free, clean and polish them across automated optical sorters, and re-export packaged goods across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
What import documentation is required at Mersin customs?: Commercial invoice, bill of lading, packing list, certificate of origin, and an official phytosanitary certificate confirming absence of agricultural quarantine pests. Shipments entering the domestic market undergo Ministry of Agriculture sampling for moisture, aflatoxins, and pesticide residues.
What count per 100g is preferred by Turkish processors?: Turkish packagers select medium-to-large beans (480 to 520 count per 100 g) for retail bags, while industrial canners accept 500 to 540 count. Whiteness of the seed coat and sharpness of the black eye are critical aesthetic criteria.
Can CBIL arrange container freight into Mersin?: Yes. CBIL coordinates ocean container bookings from Yangon, Callao/Paita, and Toamasina into Mersin International Port on CFR or CIF terms.