Exports in July were 2,821 tons compared to 3,447 tons last year
Exports for the full year are 74,774 tons compared to 66,718 tons last year, an increase of 12%
Average export price for whole apricots in July was $8,151 per ton FOB, reflecting a combination of old contracts at around $5,000 per ton and new contracts at around $12,000 per ton.
There is no 2025 crop so the carryover which we estimate between 30,000 and 40,000 tons will have to see us through to the summer of 2026.
The market in Turkey is understandably quiet with little to sell. Prices are unchanged. The majority of packers have shut their apricot plants. Credit was already tight but has tightened even further as banks are aware of the situation and of the fact that most packers will have no revenue for the next 12 months. Many will not survive.
Buyers have so far been reluctant to enter the market due to the high prices and the temptations (fantasies?) of lower priced, untested, central Asian apricots. Exporters associations have petitioned the government to open the market in Turkey to allow Asian origins to be imported for 9 months to allow them to keep factories running and avoid mass layoffs. The government has turned this down. No third country fruit will be allowed into the country legally.
Central Asian Origin Dried Apricots
Turkish Airlines flights to Tashkent have been busy! We have tested many samples of asian fruit, the sweet varieties (Gheisi/Machelka) similar to Turkish have not been suitable for most markets with SO2 testing at between double and triple the allowed levels. Moisture levels are also highly erratic.
I am unsure if the consumers in Turkey’s traditional markets are ready for the red/brown sour fibrous varieties which make up the majority of the production, indeed this may result in customer complaints and brand damage.
These origins have never been marketed in western countries, the packers are uncertified and the handlers untested. Available tonnage and varietal split is unknow. Packaging will need to be reprinted, packers and retailers will have to turn a blind eye on food safety issues.
In case you didn’t get it yet I am skeptical, but I may not be completely impartial. Time will tell, the fruit - if it does turn up- will start arriving over the next month in Europe and a month or two later in markets further afield. Stocks are tight in consuming, many supermarket shelves are either empty or down to one small pack.