The Turkish stone fruit season has been challenging all around, but there is hope for a positive watermelon season, says Akin Soyleyen, marketing manager for Turkish fruit exporter Aksun: "For Türkiye, this has been a difficult year. The frost has affected many crops, disrupting the supply of stone fruits and other produce, which has left exporters like us in a challenging position. However, the watermelon season has started with promising demand, and with sufficient supply to be able to meet that demand."
© Aksun
Harvest of watermelons in greenhouses has already started, and Soyleyen is optimistic about being able to supply watermelons for several months. "We source our watermelons from eight to ten different regions, with three different varieties. Seeded, Seedless, and Mini. The harvest began in late April, with greenhouse production in the south and transitions to the northern regions as we move into July. We are currently in the middle of the season and, if conditions remain favorable, we expect supply to continue until the end of October."
According to Soyleyen, demand and sales for watermelons have steadily increased over the past few years: "We expect to see an increase of about 20 per cent for the volumes of watermelons, but demand is so strong we still won't be able to cover all of the demand. We'll export our watermelons mainly to Central Europe, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. Looking back at the past seven to eight years, we've seen an increase in sales every year, so watermelon is a high-demand product during the summer, all over the world."
© Aksun
"In addition to regular consumption, there is strong demand from our 'Ready-to-Eat' clients. Seedless varieties are especially popular with these customers. After a difficult stone fruit season, we are hopeful that the current watermelon season, along with the upcoming citrus season, will help us get back on a positive track," Soyleyen concludes.
For more information:
Akin Soyleyen
Aksun
Tel: +90 324 234 41 90
Mobile: +90 532 590 75 92
Email: [email protected]
www.aksun.com.tr/en/
