“This year was my most challenging year for figs I’ve encountered”

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The year 2023 is drawing to an end and has been an changes and ups. Yigit Gokyigit, commercial coordinator for Turkish fresh exporter Alanar declares that they were particularly satisfied with the cherry harvest this year “2023 was a difficult year for Alanar in the case of some fruit because of the conditions. However, we enjoyed a great year for cherry as the amount was as expected. The cherry is the main fruit we grow and having a successful year for this the fruit was extremely valuable and crucial for us.”

When looking at the positive aspects of last year’s results, Gokyigit emphasizes the importance of a good cherry season for its business. “We enjoyed a great year for the cherry. Alanar is not just exporter of cherries it is also an important grower of the fruits. Our cherry orchards are located in three locations across Turkey Our main site is located in Afyon however we also have orchards of cherries situated in Manisa as well as Canakkale. The harvest was more than 500 tonnes of cherry from our orchards in the past year. The orchards in our area are still in their early stages, and we anticipate that the cherries we harvest from the orchards will increase over time. Within five years we’ll start with the harvest of more than 1,800 tons of cherries every year. In this season, we expanded to new markets, including South Asia and Africa.”

This year was not without problems and Turkish weather didn’t always agree, but Gokyigit writes: “Weather conditions were the most difficult thing to deal with in 2023 for certain fruit. Alanar is always one of the top exporters of figs from Turkey however, I’d consider this to be my most challenging fig harvest I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The volume of figs was restricted throughout the entire year, and the actual season wasn’t long at all. Because there weren’t enough products available the prices for growers and export prices were more expensive than previous years. In addition, to the Black Figs that we purchase from growers in Bursa, Alanar also grows the same kind of fig within their own orchards. We’ve therefore been able to somewhat overcome the shortfall in the market using our own black fruit.”

Some of the targets which were set out prior to the season were achieved in regards to volume for specific products. For the rest of the goods Alanar could look back over an extremely productive year, Gokyigit states. “Because of of unpredictable weather circumstances, our expectation of volume decreased both for apricots and figs. But, with respect to the other fruits we have like cherries as well as plum, pomegranate, plum and blueberries, I’d consider that we met our objectives.”

The next year’s expansion is the main word: “We aim to grow larger quantities of fruits from our own orchards, with better quality by 2024. We anticipate harvesting more than 1,000 tons of premium apricots of large size in our orchards. In addition we’ll harvest about 600 tons of cherry in addition to over 300 tonnes of black figs, blueberries, and plums. The goal of our company is to grow our operation with our business partners to the next level. There will be a stand at 2024’s Fruit Logistica in Berlin, for us to meet with our partners and analyze the coming season,” Gokyigit concludes.

For further information, click here.

Yigit Gokyigit

Alanar

Mobile: +90 549 804 87 56

Email: yigit.gokyigit@alanar.com.tr

www.alanar.com.tr

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies