The upcoming pear season should be much better than the Turkish pear season of 2023, says Kerem Tümen, export manager for Turkish fresh produce trader Tümen Tarim: "We faced a challenging year in 2023 for pear production. Due to adverse weather conditions, our yield decreased by 40%. This situation significantly impacted our production processes and market presence. However, these challenges pushed us to develop better planning and strategies. As such, we are very hopeful for 2024. Improved weather conditions have boosted our productivity to the highest level. The quality of our products is excellent, and the sizes are better than in previous years. Overall, we can say that our 2024 productivity is 40% better than last year."
Although everything is looking good, Tümen states that there are still challenges ahead in terms of the weather. "Currently, we are in the harvest season, and the only risk ahead is the continuation of hot weather. This could cause the fruits to ripen quickly or the last harvested products to be sold early. Despite the increased production, prices remain high, due to the continued high prices of 2023. High prices are since being maintained both for producers and in the domestic market."
Despite Turkey closing trade with Israel, Tümen feels the company will have more than enough alternatives to export their pears to: "Our pear varieties, Santa Maria and Deveci, are in high demand in Turkey's domestic market and in Central Asian countries, Russia, Ukraine, Balkan countries, and the Middle East market. However, due to Turkey closing its trade with Israel, the Israeli market will be closed in 2024. We anticipate that this will not significantly affect our market share."
It is Tümen's hope that their pear varieties will become more popular in certain European regions. "Unfortunately, Santa Maria and Deveci varieties are not preferred enough in Central and Western Europe. However, we hope to increase our market share in Europe in the future. Starting from mid-July, we will continue to preserve our pears in cold conditions until May and continue our domestic and international shipments until May of the following year."
"We maintain our hopes and plans for 2024 following the challenging year of 2023. By increasing our production, we aim to strengthen our presence in both the domestic and international markets with our high-quality products. We believe that with the influence of weather conditions and market dynamics, we will achieve stronger and more sustainable growth in the future," Tumen concludes.
For more information:
Kerem B. Tumen
Tumen Tarim
Tel: +90 324 454 0088
Mob: +90 532 593 6970
Email: [email protected]
www.tumen-tarim.com