Anatoliy Konovalchuk, Export Manager of the Turkish citrus fruit grower Kurt Quality, reports that Meyer lemon, one of the main varieties they market at about 3,000 tonnes per season are rather small in size at the start due to unfavourable weather conditions. He assures that only about 20% will have to be marketed as second class with most volumes going to the domestic market and first class going to nearby countries like Romania, Bulgaria or Greece.
Anatoliy says that the popularity of Meyer lemons is on the rise in Turkey, as it is a very early, juicy variety at quite an affordable price. At the moment, prices stand at around €0.60/kg and no drastic changes are expected. For their part, Interdonato lemons, which unlike the Meyer will reach good sizes this season. On the other hand it appears to have some skin issues, so the first class goods volume will be smaller compared to the previous campaign and the price currently standing at around €0.70/kg.
Another key product for the company is the Star Ruby grapefruit, which will arrive in about 15 days. According to Kurt Quality’s manager, “They are expected to be valuable this season due to a complete lack in Ukraine and Russia and probably the same goes for Europe, so we anticipate higher demand.” He recalls that last year was quite hard for many Turkish exporters and some companies were forced to shorten their market activity. Kurt Quality plans to fill that gap working together with old and stable clients.
The company will focus on managing quality and on offering a competitive price. Their strongest market by far is Poland, where grapefruit has become a very popular part of the diet.
Regarding other products, consumption of Okitsu mandarins, popular mostly in the Turkish market, is said to remain stable year after year. And demand for Satsuma mandarins, which go mostly to Russia and Ukraine, is also expected to be quite good if the economy faces no storms.
In global terms, Anatoliy Konovalchuk explains that their biggest market is still Europe, and while some exporters are working to expand in Asia, this is not in the company’s plans in the short and medium term. “We are technically equipped to increase our performance and our modernized packing facility is set to accommodate constant volume growth. Though, in fact, Turkey as a whole expects an improvement compared to last season.”
For more information:
Anatoli Konovalchuk
Kurt Quality
Tel: +90 324 326 19 33
Fax: +90 324 326 19 44
Gsm: +90 551 418 51 60
Skype: anatoliy.konovalchuk
Email: anatoliy@kurtquality.com
Web: www.kurtquality.com
Anatoliy says that the popularity of Meyer lemons is on the rise in Turkey, as it is a very early, juicy variety at quite an affordable price. At the moment, prices stand at around €0.60/kg and no drastic changes are expected. For their part, Interdonato lemons, which unlike the Meyer will reach good sizes this season. On the other hand it appears to have some skin issues, so the first class goods volume will be smaller compared to the previous campaign and the price currently standing at around €0.70/kg.
Another key product for the company is the Star Ruby grapefruit, which will arrive in about 15 days. According to Kurt Quality’s manager, “They are expected to be valuable this season due to a complete lack in Ukraine and Russia and probably the same goes for Europe, so we anticipate higher demand.” He recalls that last year was quite hard for many Turkish exporters and some companies were forced to shorten their market activity. Kurt Quality plans to fill that gap working together with old and stable clients.
The company will focus on managing quality and on offering a competitive price. Their strongest market by far is Poland, where grapefruit has become a very popular part of the diet.
Regarding other products, consumption of Okitsu mandarins, popular mostly in the Turkish market, is said to remain stable year after year. And demand for Satsuma mandarins, which go mostly to Russia and Ukraine, is also expected to be quite good if the economy faces no storms.
In global terms, Anatoliy Konovalchuk explains that their biggest market is still Europe, and while some exporters are working to expand in Asia, this is not in the company’s plans in the short and medium term. “We are technically equipped to increase our performance and our modernized packing facility is set to accommodate constant volume growth. Though, in fact, Turkey as a whole expects an improvement compared to last season.”
For more information:
Anatoli Konovalchuk
Kurt Quality
Tel: +90 324 326 19 33
Fax: +90 324 326 19 44
Gsm: +90 551 418 51 60
Skype: anatoliy.konovalchuk
Email: anatoliy@kurtquality.com
Web: www.kurtquality.com