India and the Far Eastern countries have been strong importers of their apples and contracts are already being put in place for the next season. With the current season coming to an end, one exporter is satisfied by the markets this year.
The Turkish apple season is coming to its conclusion. Muhsin Riza, export director for Turkish fruit and vegetable exporter Ideal Tarim, states that he is satisfied with how the season went: “We’re currently still dealing with the apple season. To gather produce, we select the best orchards from all over Turkey as well as manage our very own apple, pear and grape orchards, all of which are Global Gap certified. At this moment in the season, we’re almost ending our stocks and have been very happy with the market this year. For our red varieties, India has been the strongest importer of Turkish apples, while the Far Eastern market has been the strongest for our green varieties.”
According to Riza, total volumes were lower this year compared to last season. However there has been no shortage of quality apples. “The total amount of harvested apples in Turkey has been lower this season than the amount harvested last year. Climate conditions did have an effect on some of the areas near the harvest time. However, we only harvested storable and exportable apples, so although the volumes are lower, the quality of the apples was just fine. Next year, production will hopefully increase again. Ideal Tarim has Starking, Red Delicious, Gala varieties with good color and Granny Smith in its offering.”
“As Ideal Tarim, we work in both import and export of fruits and vegetables, we’re based in Istanbul, Turkey. From the very beginning, we’ve had our fruits and vegetables available year-round. Expansion has been good and fast, as we have our own offices in Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Malaysia. We take pride in the fact our customers know exactly what they’ll be getting from us. They give us the specifications they need for their market and we pack them the exact fruit they require. We’re already in the works of making contracts for the next season. Currently I’m attending GulfFood, which is going well and Turkish products are very common here. We’re very happy to be here as a visitor.” Riza concludes.
