A grower working hard to make Turkish mango global brand

ISTANBUL

Turkish mango grower Mustafa Ezici believes Türkiye may become an important player in the global market with its unique advantages.

Some 46 million tons of mangoes are produced annually in the world.

The harvest season for mango in Türkiye is between August and December, which coincides with the time when mangoes are least abundant in the world.

“This offers opportunities for Türkiye. We can sell mangos for $7 to $8 when there is not much of this produce available in the global market,” Ezici said.

There is an immense demand for mangoes from Russia but there is not sufficient product to export, according to Ezici. Türkiye has potential to export 100,000 tons of mangoes to Russia, he argues.

Bananas are the most planted produce, followed by avocados, dragon fruit and mangoes, Ezici said. “But within five years, mango will surpass them all.”

Ezici started production mangoes eight years ago with 38 saplings. He planted them in the Alanya district of the province of Antalya. “When they bore fruit in 2019, he brought 55,000 saplings from Egypt, he recalled.

His company sells mangoes at 200 Turkish liras per kilo in the Turkish market.

“There is a huge market for mangoes in the world. But Türkiye produces less than 500,000 tons of mangoes.”

Growing mangoes is a very lucrative business, according to Ezici.

“If a four-year-old tree is planted, an investment of around 250,000 liras is required for one decare of land. Revenue from one decare of land is somewhere between $10,000 to $30,000. The investment pays off in three years.” Ezici said.