Dried apricot exports rise amid earthquakes
MALATYA
Dried apricot exports from Malatya, which was among the several provinces affected by the powerful earthquakes that hit Türkiye’s south in early February, increased by 2 tons in the January-April period from a year ago.
Malatya accounts for 85 percent of the apricot production in the world.
Some 5,500 tons of dried apricot were shipped to foreign markets in the first four months of 2023, which generated a total of $34 million in export revenues, according to data from the Malatya Commodity Exchange.
The impact of the earthquakes on apricot export was rather limited, said Erdoğan Ünal from the local commodity exchange.
“Our exports could have been even higher, but there was a labor shortage,” he added.
The frost did not have much impact on apricot production, but the main damage was due to heavy rains, according to Ünal. “It is difficult to estimate the damage. Authorities will work to make estimations.”
Last year, dried apricot exports generated $402 million in revenues, which marked the highest export revenue ever. Export revenues increased by 15 percent compared with 2021.
Türkiye’s dried apricot exports exceeded 76,000 tons last year, pointing to around a 13 percent increase from 2021.
