Starting the Turkish cherry season as early as possible has been a success, says Umut Savan, co-founder of Turkish fresh produce exporter Daniur Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: "Cherries are harvested in Turkey for the first time in the northern hemisphere, and for this reason, all farmers, traders and exporters want to put as much of the products on the market, while being earlier than the competition. We worked in coordination with the farmers we have been working with for a long time, to get the best quality products from the cherry orchards, and finally, it was time to take advantage of our efforts and we started the season well-prepared and on time. Of course, this period was not easy, we spent a lot of time to protect the unripe fruits with additives and methods that do not harm human and plant health, and to make them flavorful and colorful."
Although Daniur has a number of options to export the cherries to already, the company would like to get a bit of a foothold in the Far Eastern markets, Savan explains. "Our main export markets are actually very varied. The reason for this great opportunity is our country's location and strong ties with other countries. Russia, Arab Gulf countries, India, Balkan and European countries are our main target markets. It is possible for us to enter new markets. Japan and South Korea are the countries where we are rapidly working on in order to enter the Far East Asian market."
The Turkish economy has made things a bit tougher for fresh produce exporter in general, and this is the same for the cherry season. However, Savan is confident they can deliver the volumes and quality that his client expect from them: "Compared to previous seasons, this season may be a little more difficult. The economic situation we are in affects production costs a lot and the increase in costs makes our job difficult in this competitive environment. However, no matter what, we will protect our target markets by not compromising on quality and work to keep the costs as low as possible."
Savan is confident that the Turkish cherry season will be a positive one, with good volumes and good quality. "Our expectations are that the Turkish cherry production will be at its peak this season, which already has the highest cherry production in the world. The cherry season is short compared to our other product groups and is a season that requires everything to happen quickly. When we combine our professionalism with advanced technological storage and harvesting methods, we can extend this season by 1.5 months, compared to other exporters," he concludes.
For more information:
Umut Savan
Daniur Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Tel: +90 5510 34 9838
Email: [email protected]
www.daniur.com