With the loading of the first Meyer lemons, the Turkish citrus season is now in the starting blocks. "The first batches are currently being packed and loaded, after which they are expected to arrive at the end of week 39. We should have started at the beginning of September, but we are now starting the season a good two weeks later. As an importer, it's difficult for me to say exactly why," reports Baris Sahin, Managing Director of Petryk und Sahin OG, based at Vienna's Großgrünmarkt.
In any case, Turkish goods are meeting a receptive market, Sahin observes. "South African lemons are currently in short supply and must be pre-ordered in good time. This is because the goods, most of which arrive in the Netherlands, are sold out within a very short time. Spain is not quite ready yet either: this means that Primofiori lemons are already being harvested, but the export season will probably not really get going until the beginning of October."
According to initial information, the quality of the Turkish lemons is good; the Viennese wholesaler does not yet have any concrete figures regarding quantities. "As things stand, the sales prices will be slightly below the level of South African goods."
Turkish Meyer lemons
Spanish lemons remain more popular
During the cold season, the Viennese wholesale company generally operates a two-pronged approach. Sahin: "From Turkey, we offer the Meyer variety early in the season, followed later by Lamas (November to February) and Interdonato, which are traded until spring. From Spain, we offer the Verna variety in the second half of the season. Spanish Primofiori were very popular on the Austrian domestic market last year, and we were able to roughly double our sales volumes compared to the previous year. Demand for lemons of Spanish origin is slightly higher in Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna in particular; the overall ratio is around 60-40. Nevertheless, Turkish produce is much cheaper, especially in the first phase of the season." In terms of grading, Spanish lemons are generally available in all desired calibres, while small to medium-sized lemons are predominantly sourced from Turkey.
According to Sahin, the trend in Turkish citrus exports continues to rise. Annual volume increases can in particular be observed for clementines (W.Murcott) and grapefruits (StarRuby, RubyRed).
Difficult campaign for overseas oranges
During the summer months, Petrik & Sahin OG helped itself to citrus fruits from the Southern Hemisphere. Products were mainly offered from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Argentina. "The demand for overseas citrus, especially oranges, has been surprisingly low so far. In this respect, it was rather an strenuous campaign," concludes Sahin.
South African oranges
Photo credit: Petrik & Sahin OG
For more information:
Baris Sahin
Petrik & Sahin OG
Wholesale Market Vienna-Inzersdorf
Laxenburgerstraße 365 C6 69-74
Tel: +43 1 6150014
[email protected]
www.sahinfruit.at