June 24, 2016

Aksun, a major Turkish produce company, has plans to open the country’s largest fruit and vegetable packhouse in the fall, supporting the country’s continued growth in recent years. This investment is the largest in more than 30 years for the company that produces 47 different produce items, including melons, nectarines, figs and stonefruit. Citrus makes up two-thirds of total production. Aksun’s products directly supply a number of supermarket chains in its target regions in Europe.

According to FreshFruitPortal.com, the new plant will feature more than 40 cold rooms and six pre-cooling rooms, within the 25,000 square meter closed area. A fleet of 63 reefer trucks will accompany the facility to ship products. Esra Soyleyen, marketing manager of the firm, commented on the necessity of the new infrastructure, noting, “we are now only able to cover 50% of our customer demands, we need to increase our capacity.”

Turkey is a major producer of fruits and vegetables for the European market. Depending on weather and the start of the agricultural season, Turkey can gain a competitive edge against other European countries in supplying the market. Globally, it is in the top five exporting countries for oranges and a major global producer of mandarins.

Russia’s exit from the Turkish market has impacted both production and prices of fruits. Russia was responsible for a quarter of Turkey’s total citrus exports, however, after a ban on fruit and vegetable imports that took place Jan 1, 2016, Turkey has had to seek new markets. Nazmi Gurkan, owner of an export company seemed determined in the face of this challenge. “We will sell our products, whether Russia buys them or not,” he said.

Eastern Europe has become an increasingly important market for Turkish produce in lieu of Russian imports. Turkish exports to Ukraine totaled over 120,000 tons of citrus fruit and has become the largest export market for the citrus-focused country. Aksun’s significant presence in other countries in Europe will facilitate expansion into more of the Eastern European countries.

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Tiffany Agard