The Turkish strawberry season has a higher production this year, says Fatih Toger, owner of Turkish strawberry producer Dafne Fruit: "It's been about a month since we started the strawberry season and the Turkish season is just about to pick up steam. So far, everything is fine, the producers are happy with both the price and the quality of the strawberries. We see that there is a higher yield this year, compared to the previous seasons. We're more interested in hydroponic production, as it is more satisfactory in terms of quality for the strawberries. As far as we've seen, if there are no unforeseen negative circumstances, there will be a higher yield than we expected, overall."
Despite focusing on hydroponic production, extreme weather conditions can still affect the product. Thankfully, there have not been any issues so far, Toger explains. "There haven't been any adverse weather conditions, so far. As I mentioned above, since we do hydroponic production, weather conditions can have a negative impact when they reach more extreme levels, but for now everything has been fine."
As Egyptian strawberries are more expensive than initially thought, there are more opportunities for the Turkish strawberries, according to Toger: "We see that the price of Egyptian strawberries isn't low at the moment, so there is demand for Turkish strawberries from many countries. I think we're having a very different season compared to other seasons. Our production period is from November to the end of May. In the following months, strawberries are produced in the fields, with soil farming. All of these strawberries produced are for industrial purposes and consumed in the domestic market. For us, our main export markets are Middle East and Asia."
"If the prices of strawberries in Egypt do not decrease, I think our strawberries will maintain their strong position in the market. The production in Turkey may be more expensive, but in terms of quality we produce fruits with a long shelf life and suitable eating quality, so this could be a very positive year for the Turkish strawberry," Toger concludes.
For more information:
Fatih Mehmet Toger
Dafne Fruit
Tel: +90 (541) 636 51 17
Email: [email protected]
https://www.tridaglobal.com/