Turkey has an impressive mix when it comes to citrus and this year's even temperatures have ensured a steady, high quality supply so far.
“We're in mid-season at present,” says Emrah Mulayim, director of Bamsped International, the UK arm of one of the largest export companies in Turkey, Bamex, “and the weather for satsumas has been perfect. We decided to leave the fruit on the trees for longer to develop the colour so it didn't need to be de-greened and I'm glad that we did that. Satsumas are a delicate product and the less damage done the better. We started harvesting 10 days later than last year but there was no rain during the picking period and the colder nights also helped to develop the colour.”
Turkish citrus begins in September with the arrival of the much-anticipated Interdonato lemon, but despite good quality this year's harvest has borne the brunt of unusually high temperatures resulting in a significant shortage. “Production was affected by a heatwave during blossom and so the early lemon crop was down by 30-40 per cent, although the later lemon crop fared slightly better,” says Mulayim. “But what we did have was of excellent quality and the lemons are fetching very good prices.”
Turkish lemons are well established in the UK and have a reputation for quality but Turkish citrus as a whole is a mixed bag and not every product this season has lived up to expectations. “Grapefruit, in particular Star Ruby, is on the small side this year owing to a heavier crop on the trees which led to a reduction in size,” says Ercan Aygar packing station owner at Aygar Nareciye Ltd: “The produce is causing very big headaches because the sizes are so small. A lot of the fruit is between 50-55mm, but that is too small for the UK market. Finding sizes between 30-40mm, which is the preferred size, is proving to be very hard.”
Other producers are experiencing similar difficulties and to tackle the problem Bamex is attempting to extend the season from March until possibly the end of June. But small-sized Star Ruby will undoubtedly cause big problems in the western market and when it comes to grapefruit as a whole Hart & Freidmann's Allan Pearson says that Turkish producers need to “roll up their sleeves and compete. The product needs to be improved on and this year's small size just poses an additional problem”.
Overall, says Mulayim, the quality of Turkish citrus this year is more than satisfactory. “The navel crop is due to come on-stream in mid-December and despite a 10-20 per cent drop in volume on last year, larger sizes are predicted which will be ideal for supplying the UK multiples.
“For the last five years, Bamex has also been investing in the production of easy-peelers and this season is expecting the trees to bear their first fruit. We've been growing trees in higher altitudes and so next year will be the first time we have them in late January,” he adds.
“Despite a good season what really matters is the size of Star Ruby grapefruit,” says Aygar. “Once the fruit is too small it is very difficult to export. It is possible that small sizes can be sold on to the local market but consumers in Turkey don't really have a habit of eating grapefruit ñ they consume mainly oranges.”
Production aside, there are other factors affecting Turkish citrus this year, the most pertinent of which is the strengthening rate of exchange. “Turkish lira is currently very strong against sterling and the US dollar which makes it difficult to export,” says Mulayim. “It has been strengthening for the last two years but this year it is higher than I've ever known it to be, so we are in a unique situation.”
Other foreign currencies have also been affected. “It is now twice as expensive for countries such as Russia and Lithuania to buy from us than it was last year,” says Aygar. “Turkish citrus is now very expensive for them but they are important markets and have a lot of potential. They are not too demanding in terms of specifications, they are close to Turkey and so communication is easier and importantly, the prices paid for citrus are always fixed. In addition to this, there is no competition for our lemons or Star Ruby grapefruit in these markets whereas western Europe does have other sources of supply and can be very demanding in its specifications.”
Undoubtedly the UK market is a competitive one and although Turkey has made advances in presentation Pearson believes that when it comes to citrus Turkey, like many countries, will suffer in the pre-Christmas market because at this time of year the UK is pro-Spain. “When it comes to grapefruit,” Pearson adds, “like everyone else, they will be hoping that there will be problems somewhere else so that Turkish product can fill the gap. The wholesale market is not a growth industry and at this time of year there is a lot of grapefruit around. Supplies from Cyprus, Florida and Jaffa are all available now ñ there's too much choice and not everyone can be successful.”
Historical trade relationships also make a difference. “We've got our roots in Cyprus grapefruit and that's a long-established connection which sometimes works to the detriment of Turkey and Cuba,” Pearson says.
On top of this, December is a notoriously slow month for shifting grapefruit and suppliers can be guaranteed only a certain slice of the action. “The potential for development in Turkey is vast,” says Pearson, “but in the last days of November the UK market is in its usual slump. Pre-Christmas is always a key period and from the beginning of December onwards people make bold decisions on the country of origin and will be looking for rigid continuity. By the time the market evens out at the beginning of January the product is already 10 weeks old,” he continues, “and sometimes countries such as Turkey and Cuba are casualties of that delay. A lot of independents sourcing from Turkey only want disciplined allocations of sizes that they feel they can get rid of. It's not a situation where you can just take huge amounts of pallets and then try and do your best.”
Nonetheless, producers are well aware of the stringent UK requirements and have not been slow to recognise the needs of western markets. “We started EurepGAP two years ago and have been continuing with the programme,” says Mulayim. “Now most of our orchards are certified. The driving force of this is working with the retailers because it is more or less a standard requirement.”
Certification might be vital to success in UK and western markets for a variety of reasons but for many producers it is not necessarily easy to put in place.
ëIt is a very hard process to implement,” says Aygar. “And it is sometimes hard to convince producers that they need to have it. Conditions here are very different to other countries. For instance, we don't have co-operatives as they do in Spain. We have our own ways of production, and of course our own guidelines that we work to, but it is also a costly process to implement. In the future it will be a big problem for the companies who have markets in Western Europe if they don't have it, because without it, the markets will be closed.”
And for many Turkish citrus producers the UK remains a difficult market to crack. “We have tried the UK, France and Germany many times,” says Aygar. “But they can be hard to do business with. They will only buy on commission and not a fixed price.”
No-one would disagree that the potential for development in Turkey's citrus offer is immense. “It is one of those places that has a vast landscape with a lot of potential but producers do need to be more tuned into their product range,” says Pearson. “We've got a strong belief in the country and we have a great response to products such as figs and lemons. The grapefruit is good and the rest is a disciplined interest. These days Egypt is seen as the place to be and that is how Turkey was perceived 10 years ago. At the time people couldn't forsee just how big Turkish produce was going to be. But they got their produce into the supermarkets and they've achieved their ambitions. They fought for their place and they got it. For those who don't already, all they need to do now is to analyse the quantities and quality of their sendings and get it right.”
