Turkish cherry producers have experienced no issues during the nail-biting approach to the new season, according to exporter Aksun’s Akın Söyleyen, with no frost, no hail and no rain affecting quality or quantities.
Such a forecast bodes well for the coming season, during which Turkish cherries are expected to gain access to the important Chinese market.
“We cannot export cherries to China at the moment,” said Söyleyen, “but the deal is very close to being tied up. It should be finalised in the next month. Yesterday I received a message from a Turkish official that an inspector would be coming from China on 15 May to check our fields and packhouse. I think the process will probably take another two to three weeks after this date.”
Once the deal is complete, Aksun intends to send small volumes initially to the Chinese market. “Our cherries are available at the same time as US cherries, which have been on the market for a long time and consumers are used to them,” said Söyleyen. 'Turkish cherries are not quite the same, with a slightly different taste and eating quality. If the feedback is good, then we will send larger volumes. The good thing is that we already have the right contacts in China.”
The season for early variety Bing is already underway, according to Söyleyen. “The season started around a week ago,” he said, “although quantities are small, so prices on the local market are very good. Some volumes are already going by air to the Middle East, where our customers are willing to pay a lot for these early cherries.”
The focus at Aksun, however, is on main variety Napoleon, whose season is not expected to commence for another two to three weeks.
