Asia Edition
The harvest of the Turkish pomegranates is coming up and it is time to double their volumes overseas, says Coskun Eren, marketing manager for Turkish fresh produce exporter Eren: “We expect an average to above average pomegranate season this year. The harvest is starting very soon and we are already preparing for it. Our two biggest goals this year are to double our volumes overseas, as well as secure programs with retail chains in Europe. There are some issue due to the heat, but if the operation is done correctly, these issues can be mitigated.”
Although the area where Eren cultivates its pomegranates is looking at an increase in volumes, other areas are expecting a lower yield this year. “Looking at the pomegranate volumes is actually somewhat complicated, considering the diverse expectations for the most important regions in Turkey’s pomegranate production. In the Mersin region for example, where we are also located, local authorities and industry associations speak of considerably high volumes for both pomegranate and citrus, whereas in the Antalya region, which is the top producer, worrying remarks are being made for the season, due to sunburn and late-blooming problems. We expect that the decline in the latter region will outweigh the rise in the former, resulting in a slightly lower overall figure for 2023-2024 season.”
Turkey has had to deal with both a horrific earthquake as well as a heatwave, close after one another. The former of which will have no impact on the current state of things, but Eren acknowledges that the heatwave did affect the pomegranates: “The heatwave has already resulted as lower volumes and quality problems in some of the growing regions such as the Antalya region. However, things are still good in other regions. The effects of the earthquake on the agriculture sector are almost nullified at this point. For the logistics or cultivation wise, the quake will have no adverse effects.”
When it comes to sizes of the pomegranates, for some areas sizes are similar to last year while other regions will have smaller pomegranates, Eren explains. “For the Mersin region, the sizes are expected to be smaller than last year. The majority is expected to be between 350 to 450 grams per fruit. Of course, there will be 550+ and also smaller fruits than 350 grams as well, but the majority is expected to fall between these values. As for the Antalya region, sizes are expected to be similar to last year, with the majority being around 380 to 550+ grams per fruit.”
Looking forward, Eren states it’s difficult to see where things are going with this many variables at play: “It’s hard to predict things this year, because there are multiple factors that may decide the prices. Considering the lower volumes in Turkey, the heatwave’s effects on the quality, and problems in our competitor countries as well, it looks like on average there will be an increase in demand for Turkish pomegranates. This in turn might result in an increase in prices compared to last year.”
Eren will be exhibiting during Fruit Attraction in Madrid. You can find their stand in Hall 1, Booth 1C00C
For more information:
Coskun Eren
Eren
Tel: +90 533 695 5802
Email: coskun@erentarim.com
www.freshanatolia.com
