Hopes are high that the weather in Turkey will play nice over the next few months, in order to have a good cherry season in 2023, says Alanar’s marketing coordinator Yigit Gokyigit: “We expect to harvest early cherry varieties in late May and the peak volumes are foreseen to be cultivated in late June-early-July as usual. The weather conditions from February to April will have a deep impact on both the quality and volume. We’ve been investing in cherry fruit ever since Alanar was acquired by Tekfen Holding, one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey, in 2018.”
The Turkish exporter aims to grow its own production of cherries significantly over the next 6 years, Gokyigit explains. “Besides the technological investments that we’ve made, including a cherry sorting machine, Vision 3 of Unitec, Alanar has made significant investment on creating more plantations. In addition to figs, apricots, plums and blueberries, the company expects to harvest over 400 tons of cherries from its own orchards in 2023. We expect to reach 2,000 tons of cherries harvested annually by 2029. This year, we’re also renewing our packing facility’s supportive machines that are used for cherry sorting and packaging.”
Although harvested volumes for cherries were lower overall in Turkey, but was still the largest producer in 2022, Gokyigit says: “Turkey has always been a major cherry grower in the world, although exporter rankings vary yearly. Last year, crop volumes were lower globally in general. Therefore, despite a lower harvest, Turkey was still the largest cherry grower of the world in 2022. The acreage of sweet cherries in Turkey has been pretty stable in last five years.”
Gokyigit sees that the demand for their cherries increases every year, thanks to their cooperation with large supermarkets. “We work with world-famous leading supermarket chains. Germany has always been the main market for us, and we do not expect it will be any different in 2023. Alanar’s cherries are getting more and more popular over the last couple of years, especially in Eastern Europe, the UK, the Middle East and Asian countries. We expect to grow our market share in these regions in the upcoming cherry season.”
Alanar will be exhibiting during Fruit Logistica. You can find their stand in the City Cube/Hall B, C30, at the Turkish pavilion.
For more information:
Yigit Gokyigit
Alanar
Mobile: +90 549 804 87 56
Email: yigit.gokyigit@alanar.com.tr
www.alanar.com.tr