While the supply of Turkish sweet peppers is gradually coming to an end, the fig season is now gradually gaining momentum. "Sweet apricots fresh from the tree will continue to be harvested and loaded until the end of July, after which they will continue to be stored in cold stores for a few more weeks. The problem this year was not so much the availability, but the renewed increase in ancillary costs, both in logistics and in labour and material costs. There were sometimes 100 per cent cost increases, while sales prices were below the previous year's level, which had an extreme impact along the entire chain," explains Tufan Ünal, direct importer and Managing Director of META Ltd, based in Taufkirchen.
Sweet apricots and figs are among the most important seasonal products in Turkey.
The same applies to sweet cherries from Turkey, for which the cost price per kilo has climbed from 1.00 to 1.50 compared to the previous year. "Unfortunately, figs will be no different," predicts Ünal. Here, too, prices are unlikely to be adequate, he says, pointing out the sometimes serious consequences for producers at the source.
Tufan Ünal is the founder and owner of Pasam Tarim, a company based in the Antalya region. The fruit produced there is mainly sold on the export markets of Europe and the Middle East.
At the beginning of the Turkish fig season, sales are rather slow. The tried and tested black figs from the Bursa region are usually only available until mid-August. "Until a few years ago, we always ran a two-pronged approach in the first few weeks of the season by offering our customers produce from the two early regions of Mersin and Aydin. However, we have now moved away from the Aydin produce as more and more Ethephon, a product used to promote fruit ripening, is being used here. The use of this agent gives the fruit a beautiful colour, but in the end, several fruits per pack of 14 are always inedible. Ethephon is not necessary for the varieties grown in the Mersin region. Although the fruits are slightly smaller (calibre 20/22 compared to 16/18), they ripen naturally, and you can taste that."
Melisa and Tufan Ünal and Furkan Mavi from partner Pasam, at Interfresh Eurasia 2023.
25 years of direct imports from Turkey
META has been dealing with direct imports from all well-known growing regions in Turkey since 1999. Its customers primarily include wholesale markets and food retail chains in Germany and Austria. The company offers a wide range of products and private labels and cooperates directly with co-operative partners in Turkey. Strategic investments are made in close consultation with local co-operation partners. "When it comes to figs, we have now invested in state-of-the-art sorting and packaging technology so that we can continue to meet the high demands of our customers," concludes Ünal.
For more information:
Tufan Ünal
META GmbH
Karwendelstrasse 11a
2024 Taufkirchen
Tel: +49 89 414 25777
[email protected]
www.pasam.de