The Turkish cherry season has taken off in the past three weeks. Some varieties will have their first week right now, and a Turkish exporter is positive about the upcoming season. Sizes are slightly larger this year, and the company is ready to take on the usual challenges of the season.
Although some varieties have already started, the cherries of Eren Tarim have been patiently waiting for their turn. Coskun Eren, head of marketing for Eren Tarim, states that rain has delayed their start slightly: “The cherry season is just starting for us, as the season opened with the Early Burlat variety three weeks ago, followed by Napoleon and Ziraat 900 varieties just last week. It’s been raining non-stop for the past four to five days so we are waiting for the rains to stop to begin our season. The winter was good this year and the volumes are quite alright as a result. The sizing is also fine, a tad bigger than last year.”
Eren Tarim aims to grow as a company, both in production as well as reach in markets. “We are expecting to increase our volumes, as we do every year. Our goal for this season is around 500 tons, but I can confidently say we can meet almost any demand. This expectation is based on our current portfolio. Russia has been our rising star for the past two years, we have secured good connections with more markets and this will improve our cherry sales as well. For the future we will enter countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Belarus, France and Estonia. Another goal would be to send most of our exports via air freight.” Eren explains.
Turkish cherry exporters have been working to promote their brand and the Turkish cherries in general this year. Eren agrees that the Turkish exporters are doing what they can to be as successful as they should be: “Turkey has one of the largest cherry productions on the planet, but indeed we have not been as successful as we should have been with the cherries. We are aiming to change that by letting more people try out our own Ziraat 900 variety. Hopefully more people in the world will get a taste of the Turkish cherry.”
Although the pandemic has caused its own set of challenges for any grower and exporter, the cherries have to deal with tough situations on a yearly basis, Eren says: “The challenges remain the same as every year, but with the addition of COVID this year. Cherry prices change daily so you have to be careful when promising orders far ahead. The virus will for sure mess with the demand of an expensive product such as cherry. Finally there will be competition from local cherries in the EU and Californian cherries in the air cargo could close the deal. However, I’m not worried. We face these challenges every year and have learned to tackle them as they come, we will be waiting.”
With the past few months being as challenging as they were, Eren is positive and ready to start their cherry season: “We have our own logistics department so we passed the worst times of the virus relatively unharmed in the logistics side of things. Now it’s much easier, much more open and non-problematic for us. This year the quality, volume, and sizing are all OK. We are ready and eager to start, with long programs and fixed pricing. Seasonal arrangements are always welcome and we are able to execute. The bell has rung, the crowd is cheering. I wish all the contestants good luck!” he concludes.
For more information:
Coskun Eren
Eren Tarim
Tel: +90 533 695 5802
Email: coskun@erentarim.com
www.erentarim.com