Apples from Turkey have steadily been finding their way into the Indian market this season. Although the Turkish have similar quality to the Polish apples this season, their stocks aren’t depleted just yet. One exporter feels they’ll keep the season going for about three more months.
The Turkish apple season has been pretty good so far, says Alper Kerim, CEO of Demir Fresh Fruits. “The apple season is going great, sales are out the door fast and if it continues like this we expect to stop export end of May. In terms of quality, most regions had a satisfying season as well. So far only the Karaman City region has a few quality issues, but the other regions have been up to par.”
Despite the quality issues in that one region, Demir Fresh Fruit has not been affected by it, as their orchards are elsewhere. “Our orchards are mainly in the Isparta and Nigde regions, which explains why we haven’t had too much problems with quality. We have shipped 112 containers up until now and our export value reached to 1.9 million USD, with these numbers we've only paid 18,000 USD in claims to our customers. That’s almost nothing when working with those volumes. We expect to finish the season with about 8,000 tons of apples exported.” Kerim explains.
Kerim’s eyes have not been fixated on the European market, where the Italians and Polish have a large market share. Instead he markets his apples in the Asian market: “The main market for our apples has been India. Because of the quality and shape of our apples, they are quite valuable in the Indian market. The second biggest market for us is Russia. They require bigger sizes than the Asia markets do, so it’s a great market for us. As far as our competitors, I feel Italy is our main competitor, as Poland and Turkey have similar quality in their apples. However, due to the shortage of Polish apples this season, Turkey will be in a much better position in terms of export volumes.”
“I’m expecting prices to reach very high numbers, as India has increased their volumes after February. I suspect stocks in Iran and Poland will be running low by now. Furthermore Russia has stopped all fruits coming in from China due to the Corona virus. With everything going on in Europe, who knows how deep the impact of this virus will be. I’m expecting a huge demand from Asian and European countries when it comes to a variety of Turkish fruits. Turkey should use its location to its advantage.” Kerim concludes.
For more information:
Alper Kerim
Demir Fresh Fruits
Tel: +90 532 514 2080
Email: [email protected]
www.dff.com.tr
