After a slower start, demand for apples from Turkey is on a solid level right now, says Enes Gulbudak, export manager for Turkish apple grower and exporter Gulbudak: “We began harvesting Gala apples at the end of August. The volume we reached was over 3000 tons and the quality everything we hoped for. The export season has also started with the Gala harvest in early September. The demand was a bit low during the first weeks, but starting from October the Gala demand has significantly increased and has kept pace until the end of December. Currently we’re packing Granny, Fuji and Red Delicious varieties. The demand on Granny and Fuji is quite good whereas Red Delicious is not as good as previous season. However, we expect it to peak in two weeks.”
According to Gulbudak, their location is great for growing apples. “We have 650 hectares among our apple orchards located in Isparta, around the beautiful Egirdir lake. This area has the perfect climate conditions for apple cultivation. We harvest approximately 25,000 tons of apples every season. Beyond being a grower for the local market, we have an inhouse export department. So we can control and ensure that the entire process goes smoothly in every stage, since we do not use any intermediaries.”
As the stocks of apples in India is getting lower, Gulbudak expects that they’ll be able to export more volumes to the Indian market: “The demand is at an average level nowadays. With the decrease of local apple volume in India coming up, our share in the market will reach higher levels in February. Our main market is India, beyond that we export to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and some east African countries. We are planning to enter the Thailand market soon,” he concludes.
For more information:
Enes Gulbudak
Gülbudak Gida Sogutma
Tel: +90 530 322 39 08
Email: enes.gulbudak@gulbudak.com.tr
www.gulbudak.com.tr