Turkey supplies a wide range of citrus to the UK and this year’s soft citrus and orange crop fared particularly well. Throughout the growing season temperatures were ideal for satsumas and although Bamex, one of the largest export companies in Turkey, experienced a late start for harvesting, this was only due to the decision to leave the fruit on the trees for longer in order to develop the colour. Navel’s came on stream in mid-December and quality is reported to be good with sizes larger than average.
“The weather was generally good this season,” says Hart & Friedmann’s Allan Pearson. “There was almost no rain and plenty of sun which is ideal for citrus.”
However there were exceptions, says Ercan Aygar, packing station owner at Aygar Nareciye. “Throughout May and June the weather was hot and humid and this had an adverse effect on satsumas and mandarins. Hot weather struck again in October when temperatures reached 25°C and although the heat had subsided by November, the damage had already been done and some of the fruit was damaged.”
Nonetheless soft citrus is an area of growth for many Turkish producers and Bamex has spent a great deal of time and effort investing in increasing its production of easy peelers with groves in high-altitude regions that will allow the season to be extended until late-January. “The quality of easy-peeler has been very good so far,” says director of Bamsped International, Emrah Mulayim. “There has not been much rain since we began harvesting satsumas and night time temperatures dropped significantly to allow good colouration of the product. In terms of production we are making a point of difference by emphasising the quality of the product.”
The oft repeated adage “size doesn’t matter” couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to the UK’s preference for grapefruit, and by the exacting standards of a 30-40mm size range, this season’s Turkish grapefruit crop was notably short, with much of the crop on the small size. Lemons fared better, displaying excellent quality although the early lemon crop was down by 30-40 per cent.
Fruit size and quality have not been the only factors impacting upon the success of Turkey’s citrus this season and strengthening exchange rates have left many exporters feeling the squeeze.
“The Turkish lira has continued to get stronger and stronger, in comparison to sterling and the US dollar,” says Aygar, “and so it is now much more expensive to buy from Turkey than it was a year ago. Western Europe can be a very frustrating market for Turkish products and a lot of citrus is now sent to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. We have tried many times to export to France and Germany but countries such as these will only buy on commission and not a fixed price.”
The strong rate of exchange has meant that for countries such as Lithuania and Russia, it is twice as expensive to buy Turkish products than it was last year. “These markets are very important to us,” says Aygar. “The specifications for oranges and lemons are not as stringent as they are in western Europe and they also have the advantage of being nearer and of operating a system of fixed prices. EurepGAP is an added difficulty for many producers, partly because it can be time-consuming and problematic to implement. But it is increasingly a necessity as without it vital markets are excluded.”
Overall this season’s Turkish citrus has been well received and producers seem content with achievements thus far. “In terms of oranges I think we always have good quality,” says Aygar, “although satsumas can always be a bit on and off in terms of quality.”
“Satsumas did suffer from a lack of enthusiasm,” says Pearson, “and in some cases from poor quality. At a certain point in the calendar oranges are competing with Spanish product and they invariably get a lukewarm response - it’s the same for all those who supply at that time because the UK market is pro-Spain. The wholesale market is not a growth industry and there is too much product coming in from countries such as Cyprus and Florida, and of course the Jaffa fruit is also available at that time. With such a choice, not everyone can be successful. Having said that, a lot of independents are sourcing from Turkey but increasingly the demand is only for disciplined allocations of sizes that can definitely be got rid of.
“There is a strong belief in Turkey. Like Egypt it has a vast landscape with a lot of potential, what producers need to do now is to tune into their produce range.”
No comments yet