It’s been a very strong start for the Turkish apple season, despite some issues with the Gala variety, says Alper Kerim, owner of Turkish fruit exporter Demir Fresh Fruits: “The Turkish apple season started so fast compared to the previous years. The Gala variety had some problems regarding the sizes and colourization, which were caused due to the weather conditions during the summer. We also started to load Red Delicious immediately after they were harvested. It was very surprising for us, as demand started really early for the red varieties.”
The harvest of apples in India is significantly lower than usual, leading to domestic supply problems, Kerim explains. “India is dealing with a lower production of apples this year, and the south side of India suffered a lot because of it. India’s apple production mainly takes place in the northern parts of the country. As there are local transportation issues, the apples grown in India only reach the south side in very small quantities. In turn, the demand for imported apples has skyrocketed in the southern regions, which makes sense as consumers are still looking for their apples.”
Although it’s tempting to start pumping lower quality apples onto the Indian market, this is not the ambition of Demir Fresh Fruits, Kerim states: “This demand leads to opportunities, but for our company the challenge is not in the quantities we’re able to send. It must always be about the quality, as these are fresh and perishable products. Therefore, using the latest systems while producing and packing are what puts an exporter ahead, in my view. Demir Fresh Fruits has more than sufficient capacity, but we always stop the line if we’re noticing any alert when it comes to quality throughout the season. So far, quality has been super, which makes it difficult to estimate when our apple stocks will be depleted.”
With demand being as high as it is, it’s no surprise that prices were also higher than last season. Kerim does wonder if these prices can be sustained for the consumer in India. “Prices did start at higher levels this season. When you compare these prices to those of last year, the increase is between 15 and 20 per cent. I’m not sure if these prices will be sustainable in the Indian market. However, since there is currently a very high demand, importers are happy to pay the prices at this time. I do expect demand to slow down in November and December. The big demand should then return after March.”
Turkish apples will have to convince the consumer, as they also have other options in terms of origin: “For Turkish apples in the Indian market, the direct rivals are apples from Poland and Iran due to the pricing and quality. My experience in the market has shown me that Turkish apples are in the middle of the Polish and Iranian apples in term. That being said, the Turkish apples to have an advantage in the transportation department, which will result in the market share of Turkish apples being significantly higher than the competition,” Kerim concludes.
For more information:
Alper Kerim
Demir Fresh Fruits
Tel: +90 532 514 2080
Email: alper@dff.com.tr
www.dff.com.tr