Cherry suppliers in Turkey have seen their fortunes improve in the last couple of seasons, despite a drop in profitability in Asia, which has refocused attention on the European market
Things have been looking up for Turkish cherry exporters, who enjoyed one of the best seasons for years in 2024, following an improved performance the year before.
In 2023, Turkish cherry exports totalled 215,000 tonnes, worth $83m, a 60 per cent rise on the year before. In the first seven months of 2024, revenue from cherry exports surged by 209 per cent to $4m, according to Railly News, the main markets being Germany, Russia and Poland, which each grew in value terms, by 25 per cent, 41 per cent and 112 per cent respectively.
“We had a good cherry season, probably the best season in the last five years,” Yigit Gökyigit, commercial coordinator at producer-exporter Alanar, told Fruitnet. “We had both good volumes and good quality.”
Alanar’s main market remains Europe, with the company also sending cherries by air to Asia. Although this form of transportation has meant the logistical issues in the Red Sea have been bypassed, the high cost of airfreight and a downturn in Asia have redoubled the focus on Europe, according to Gökyigit.
“There’s been a recession in many Asian markets, so consumption is down,” he said. “Four or five years ago, these markets were really profitable compared with Europe, but now they are about the same, so it doesn’t make as much sense to transport all that way. We still work with some customers there, but it is less profitable. Before we were aiming to send 5-10 pallets, but we push a lot less now. In Europe, it’s around the same price and we are able to send a bigger volume.”
Nevertheless, national efforts to expand Turkish cherry exports to East Asian markets continue, including to current markets Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India.
Initiatives have focused on providing assurances on quality and residues, such as through projects like We Know the Pesticides We Use and efforts toward Mediterranean fruit fly-free production.
