Dried apricot exports reached $66 million in the first quarter of the year

Dried apricot exports reached $66 million in the first quarter of the year

In the first quarter of the year, $66 million in revenue was generated from the export of Malatya apricots, a geographically registered product from the European Union.

In Malatya, which faced difficulties in apricot production due to the agricultural frost on April 12 last year, the contribution of dried apricot exports to the city's economy continues.

In the first quarter of the year, 7,250 tons of dried apricots were exported from the city, generating $66 million in revenue.

Malatya Chamber of Commerce President Ramazan Özcan told an AA reporter that despite the agricultural frost last year, they continued dried apricot exports in Malatya, which accounts for 25% of Türkiye's dried fruit exports.

Özcan stated that the effects of the agricultural frost that occurred on April 12 last year are still being felt, and added:

"In the first quarter, exports are proceeding in line with our expectations. We exported 7,250 tons in three months. The USA is one of our most important buyers. With this, we generated $66 million in revenue. We are starting the second quarter. We plan to continue with the product we produced in 2024 and which is in our licensed warehouses. We don't have much product left in our stocks. In the next three months, as in the first quarter, we plan to continue exporting with the product in our existing warehouses, albeit in limited quantities."

Özcan noted that if weather conditions remain normal, they expect a significant apricot production this year.