Aegean Region Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association Vice President Cengiz Balik: “The cherries grown in this area are extremely important for the regional economy. That’s why we need to pay extra attention when growing such a valuable product. We exported 23,000 tons of cherries to Germany in 2017 followed by Russia with 15,000 tons and Iraq with 8,800 tons.
The growers need to comply with the harvest schedule fully. If you have used pesticides, do not harvest products earlier than scheduled just to catch best prices on the market because you will damage the image of the Turkish cherry in general and long term the exports will start to decrease due to concerns about food safety. Every grower needs to make sure that their products are within the allowed limits of pesticide residues in order to keep the image of the Turkish cherry intact in these export markets so we will not lose our position there. I would also like to urge you to purchase your insecticides on the record so we can keep track and warn you beforehand when necessary.”
Source: Hurriyet