The Turkish company Aksun, devoted to the export of quality fresh fruit and vegetables since 1989, visited the recent edition of Asia Fruit Logistica with the goal of showcasing and promoting its figs and citrus fruits, especially early lemons.
As far as the figs are concerned, Mr Akin Soyleyen assures that, compared to last season, when the production volume was lower due to the impact of rainfall, “We should be easily producing at least 100% more. Demand is going really well, and while in Europe we face stiff competition, in the Far East all producers have good market shares.”
“We started packing two weeks ago and it’s going really well, especially in Hong Kong and Singapore. We entered these markets four years ago and the volume has grown very fast, by about 200%, and people are choosing them especially because of their health properties.”
The total share of the company’s shipments to these destinations, where they work exclusively with retailers, has in fact also registered a considerable growth, from 5 to 40% in four years, despite the fact that they are shipped by air, which makes the process more expensive. “We have also been trying to expand to Malaysia, but this is still a difficult market due to lack of familiarity with the product, although we are still looking for ways to enter,” he explains.
When it comes to citrus fruits, Mr Soyleyen states that prospects for the lemon season are also really positive. “We plan to start with the Enterdonato variety in the last week of September and production should be 20% greater than last year’s; price-wise we expect to start a little lower, but demand is booming in Asia and the campaign should be good as long as nothing extraordinary happens.”
For more information:
Akin Soyleyen
Aksun
Tel: +903242344190
Fax:+903242344196
Email: akin@aksun.com.tr
www.aksun.com.tr