Turkish Vine Fruit Market Update – March 2022

Turkish Vine Fruit registrations saw 246,000 tons at the end of February. This is 13% lower than the 2020 crop figure of 282,000 tons. The unofficial estimation of total crop is 290,000 tons. So far, it seems that 85% of crop has changed hands. End of February export figure form Turkey to date was 130,000 tons, an 8% increase from the same time last year.

5 main importing countries as follows and compared to 2020 (in comparison to the same time last season):

• UK – 32,900 tons – down 6%
• Germany – 18,900 tons – up 31%
• Italy – 13,500 tons – up 32%
• Netherlands – 11,800 tons – down 9%
• France – 7,900 tons – up 4%

We have seen very limited offerings on raw material form packers and growers in Turkey. This is due to a number or reasons such as currency volatility and conflicts in Ukraine. With these factors in mind, many key players have been hesitant to by, leading to a very quiet market. Container and shipping issues continue to be a very large reason as to why we have seen pricing increase to harshly as of late, this situation is only expected to get worse. We have been warned that shipping prices may well rise by 200%. 2022 crop is progressing well, with very little issues and so far good weather conditions. First crop estimates are very optimistic and are not expected to be less than current crop yield. We must however not be too complacent, as there still a number of issues which could well have an impact on total yield. These could be frost, disease, rains and pests – all of which could cause significant damage. We are about to see the pruning and drying process come to an end, which will then lead to the next stage of crop development and necessary applications carried out to prevent dead arm disease.