ÖZKAN KAYACAN: TURKEY IS THE WORLD LEADER IN DRIED APRICOTS

Özkan Kayacan: Turkey is the world leader in dried apricots production 

TAGEM (Agricultural Research and Policies Directorate) Manager Özkan Kayacan said that Turkey's share in world production of dried apricots is about 63 percent; Turkey, a leader in production and export of dried apricots.

TAGEM Manager Özkan Kayacan, in his speech during the opening ceremony of 17th International Apricot Breeding and Culture Symposium, organized by Malatya Turgut Özal University and the Malatya Apricot Research Institute, said that Turkey has an important position on agricultural exports with over 17 billion dollars.

Stating that Turkey's rank as of agricultural revenue in the first 10 in the world, while first in Europe he continued:

"As a country, we feed 82 million inhabitants, 40 million tourists and 5 to 6 million immigrants. Even though we sometimes import from abroad, we are in the position of net foreign sellers with over 17 billion dollars of agricultural exports. We have about 24 million tons of fruit production per year. If we look at apricot, our country realizes the highest amount in world production. Other countries producing apricots in the world are mainly Uzbekistan, Italy, Iran, Algeria, Pakistan and Spain. Domestic production used to be 315 thousand tons in 2002 and now we have 750 thousand tons in 2018."

Kayacan, explaining that 35-40 percent of consumed fresh apricot in Turkey, stressing that the remaining amount that is dried and used in the industry.

7 million apricot trees in Malatya region...

Malatya Governor Aydın Baruş expressing that apricot is an important fruit for Malatya and said, "As we all know, Evliya Çelebi used to emphasize that apricot carry much importance in the nutrition and trade of the people. In the last 40 years the apricot tree in Malatya has increased significantly and today we know that there are around 7 million 800 apricot trees in an area of ​​88 thousand hectares covered with apricot trees."

Malatya Turgut Özal University Rector Prof. Aysun Bay Karabulut told that Turkey ranks first since 1972 in the world. "Whether number of trees or both fresh and dry apricot production volumes through Malatya, this is the most important production center of the world. Produced in Malatya About 95 percent of fresh apricots produced in this region are dried and exported" she concluded.

Following the opening speeches, sessions were held on various subjects. The symposium, which was attended by academics from 12 countries, will end on July 10th.