A massive earthquake has hit both Turkey and Syria. Next to the tragic loss of human life, the earthquake will also have consequences for growers and traders that planned on traveling to Fruit Logistica.
According to Yigit Gokyigit of Turkish fruit exporter Alanar, he’s spoken to several of the companies that intended to exhibit in Berlin, but will not be able to make the journey: “I just talked to somebody in the region of Adana, who works in the sector and was planning to go to Fruit Logistica. Unfortunately, his trip was cancelled. There will be more companies from the Adana, Hatay, and Mersin regions that will not be able to travel. For us, we’re flying via Istanbul. However, due to bad weather, a few flights have been cancelled here as well, so I hope ours will still go to Berlin.”
Coskun Eren, who works for Turkish fresh produce trader Eren Tarim, states the situation in the affected areas is pretty bad. He’s about 200km away from the epicenter of the earthquake: “Some of the factories in the affected region could have been damaged. It’s hard to get anything done at the moment as people are trying to contact or find their loved ones in the region. Understandably, priorities for everyone have shifted because of this disaster. Most of the non-essential services are unavailable, most flights are cancelled, and nothing is certain yet, so we’ll have to see how many companies are able to make their way to Berlin. It’s also not clear yet in what way the fields or packhouses will be affected.”
