Turkish pomegranate growers are gaining more knowledge with every season that passes. As a result, Berkay Özküçük, marketing director for Turkish fresh produce exporter Mertpa, feels this has been a better pomegranate season than it was last year. “Every year, there are regional differences between the seasons due to the climate. Year by year, Turkish fruit producers become more well informed about the importance of residues. We have come to a self-confident position in pomegranate in our producer portfolio. As our climate allows, our production capacity is positively affected with our analysing monitoring. This seriously affects our volume of exportable products. This year is slightly better than last year.”
With the global economic challenges being what they are, Özküçük emphasizes that demand hasn’t grown for most products as consumers are careful with their spending. However, demand for pomegranates remained strong due to the health benefits, he explains.
“Despite the stagnation in the market for other fruit varieties, pomegranate was consumed more because of its contribution to health. As the effects of Covid-19 continue, consumers still pay attention to healthy food. Pomegranate became one of the more sought-after fruit for a healthy life. We can store the products harvested in October until April thanks to our well known selection. Our main markets are Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, England and France. This year we also entered the Polish market. This year, we target to expand our trade with our wide transfer network to Asian and African markets.”
One of the larger issues that Turkish exporters have to deal with, would be the situation at the Bulgarian border. Delays and protocols are causing delays, which poses a problem when you’re guaranteeing a fast delivery of perishable products, Özküçük says. “Everyone is seriously feeling the effects of the war in Europe. The economic effects cause the supply chain to break, which in turn affects production. At the moment, all countries, importers and exporters are trying to get rid of the effects of the economic fluctuation. Apart from this, the procedures applied at the Bulgarian border gate, which is the biggest issue from the past to the present, continue to affect our business negatively. A major problem in the supply chain is that a party can be stuck at the border for 3-4 days. Because fast delivery of products at the right time is the most important part of our business, it’s easy to see why this is a problem.”
“Turkey is one of the most important production areas of the Mediterranean, thanks to our proximity to Europe and the fertile lands it contains. Our company exports over 100 products to European supermarkets and local warehouses during the seasons. We do this in very modern facilities in three different regions of our country, where different climates and soil richness exist. Our strong products are black figs, pomegranates, Sultanas grapes, quince, pears, sugar apricots, tomatoes, capsicums and all Turkish vegetable varieties. This year, we will also visit Fruit Logistica in Berlin,” Özküçük concludes.
For more information:
Berkay Özküçük
Mertpa Meyve Sebze Ltd.Co.
Tel: +90 544 336 35 30
Email : [email protected]
www.mertpatarim.com.tr