Turkish Apricot Market Update 19/06/2023
After the Malatya City Governor Hulusi Şahin announced on June 16, 2023 that the estimated dried apricot harvest for 2023 is 77,170 tons, our supplier Agrimax (Dogancan) spent the last few days touring the growing regions in and around Malatya, and the key points we observed are as follows:
The 2023 apricot crop in Malatya is expected to be significantly smaller than in previous years.
The main reasons for this are:
Persistent rain during the blossoming period damaged many trees and reduced the number of fruitlets.
Hail and rain later in the season caused further damage and blemishes. (upto 50%)
The earthquake that struck Malatya in January 2023 has also had an impact, as many farmers have left the region and those who remain are facing labour shortages and other challenges.
As a result of these factors, the estimated yield for the 2023 crop is 50,000 to 60,000 tons, down from 77,170 tons in 2022.
This is likely to lead to higher prices for apricots in the coming months.
Here are some additional details about the issues affecting the 2023 crop:
The population of Malatya province has fallen by about a third following the earthquakes. This means that there are fewer people available to work in the orchards, which is driving up labour costs.
The Lira has weakened over the past few weeks, which is making it more expensive for farmers to import inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides.
Fungal diseases have damaged around a quarter of trees, which will need to be carefully pruned and treated in order to recover.
Many organic farms have not renewed their organic certification due to years of low prices relative to conventional farming.
Consuming markets are mostly empty of apricot stocks, which is likely to lead to higher prices for consumers.