The harvest for Turkish black figs commenced a bit earlier than usual, says Yigit Gokyigit, commercial coordinator for the Turkish fresh produce exporter: "The Turkish fig season started a bit early this year. The first crops were harvested on August the 6th in the Bursa region. Normally, this harvest would start around the 15th of August instead. In our own orchards in Manisa, we always start earlier than they do in Bursa. This year, we made the kick-off on July 26th in Alanar's orchards."
Last season, the Turkish figs were under pressure due to a very challenging season, as high temperatures ruined the production level, Gokyigit explains. "We have much better temperatures compared to last year. In 2023, it was too hot in Bursa during the season, which affected the fig volumes dramatically. I would say that last year was actually one of the worst fig seasons in Bursa for decades. Thankfully, we do not have these big issues this year. I expect a normal season, both in terms of weather effects and fig volumes. Last year, volumes were super limited. For this year, I still cannot say it's perfect, but at least we are having a normal season."
Gokyigit emphasizes that they will mostly focus on markets the exporter already has a foothold in and will forego trying to reach new markets this season: "Alanar's main export market is Germany. We export to the UK as well. I don't expect to enter any new markets this year. We will be exporting to the Middle East and Pacific Asia, in addition to European countries. Overall, I don't expect a very long fig season this year. The main harvest should be exported in September."
In the next few years, production of figs should increase as the orchards of Alanar reach further maturity. "We're not only a packer and exporter of figs, but also a fig grower. We'll grow nearly 200 tons of black figs in our own orchards. We invested in planting these orchards in 2018, after the acquisition of Alanar by Tekfen Holding. The project will reach about 2,000 tons of annual production by the year 2028," Gokyigit concludes.
For more information:
Yigit Gokyigit
Alanar
Mobile: +90 549 804 87 56
Email: [email protected]
www.alanar.com.tr