Turkish cherries

Fruit exports from Turkey increased by 16 per cent in 2013 to reach US$708.5m, according to the Turkey Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, a record high in recent years.

Grape exports were up by 15 per cent compared with 2012 to US$187m, making it Turkey's most valuable fruit export, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Cherry exports fell by 3 per cent to US$155m, but still came in second, accounting for 22 percent of the country's fruit exports.

According to the data, Russia was the leading recipient of Turkish fruit, importing US$235m worth, a third of the total.

Behind Russia was Germany, which imported US$127m of fruit, followed by Bulgaria with US$43m, Iraq with US$40m and Ukraine with US$31m.