The start of the Turkish watermelon season was slightly delayed by the weather, Esra Soyleyen, managing partner of Turkish fruit exporter Aksun, says: “This year, due to the change of climate and the late arrival of winter, weather affected the watermelon crops. This resulted in a later start of the season than usual. Although there is a latency, the quality of the crop is not affected. The total volume expectation is still high, but the daily harvest volumes are lower than usual, simply due to fluctuating daily temperatures.”
It’s now allowed to start the export of the Turkish watermelons, which are good in size this year, Soyleyen states. “The government permit for the export of watermelons has been given as of April 29th, where the earliest harvest has already started in Antalya region. Other regions have also seen an increase in plantation. The quality of the crop looks to be very good in terms of size and taste, which results in good overall expectations for the remainder of the season.”
Soyleyen is ready for a positive season, although prices are already lower due to large supply from the competition: “If the prices are not too volatile, we expect a good season throughout the season. The price will be affected by the competition from Spain and Greece, and their pricing. We’re already seeing prices being pushed down as the supply is higher than the current demand. We expect this to continue for a little while, since the weather in Europe is also colder than usual.”
According to Soyleyen, there is a shift in Turkish watermelon production, as growers move away from seeded varieties. “There is a change in Turkish watermelon production concerning the varieties. Normally the common trend in Turkey was Crimson, or seeded, varieties, whereas we see a big switch in production to seedless varieties like `Style` for the past two to three years. The local supermarket chains are chasing after the seedless varieties refusing to get the common seeded varieties. Most large supermarkets have focused on contracted growers, where they can get season long seedless watermelons spreading to various regions. This would result in a more competitive Turkish production when it comes to seedless varieties for Europe,” she concludes.
