BİROL CELEP: DRIED APRICOTS BROUGHT IN 197 MILLION DOLLARS IN 8 MONTHS

Press release...

As from August 1, 2019 until March 30 period, 76 thousand tons of dried apricots were exported and
197 million dollars of foreign exchange obtained in return.

Chairman of Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association Birol Celep said that through the coronavirus epidemic, the demand for dried fruits that strengthened immunity increased.



Stating that in March of 2019 raisins, dried apricots and figs exports amounted to 77 million dollars but this figure surged to 90 million dollars, in other words an increase of 16 percent occurred in March this year, Celep explained, "Since the start of the season, 723 million dollars have been generated from raisins, dried apricots and dried figs. Especially with its high nutritional values, dried apricots are among the nutritious foods that strengthen the immune system against coronavirus. Besides being rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, K, it is also a storehouse of iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and fibre. It also has a strong antioxidant effect with the amount of beta carotene it contains."

40 percent of the export of dried apricots comes from the Aegean...

Pointing out that 76 thousand tons of dried apricots have been exported in Turkey between August 1, 2019 from until March 30, 2020 period, "While evaluating the last season we observe that dried apricot exports rose by 4 percent, from 189 million dollars to 197 million dollars. In the Aegean Region, where dried apricot exports are the most common, 26 thousand tons of dried apricots were exported and a foreign currency inflow of 78 million dollars was provided in the 8-month period," Celep noted.

125 percent increase to China...

Birol Celep added that there is an increase in the export of dried apricots to the USA, Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Egypt, China and Belarus and continued as follows:

"26 million dollars to the USA, 18 million to Germany, 17 million to France, 10 million to Brazil, 9 million to the UK, Russia and Australia,  6 million to the Netherlands, 5 million dollars to Algeria and Egypt, 4 million dollars to Belarus have been exported and overall dried apricots have been sent to 105 countries worldwide. As for the zero point of the epidemic in China dried apricot exports, which was 2 million dollars last year, increased by 125 percent this year and reached 4.5 million dollars."