Turkey: Citrus Annual
In MY 2015/16, yields were favorable in Turkey and the total production of citrus was 3.9 MMT. The sector expects that the yield in MY 2016/17 will follow the same upward trend as last year. Turkey exported 1.5 MMT of citrus worth $830 million in 2015, just barely lower than in 2014. Russia’s ban on most Turkish citrus affected the export trend in 2016, however, Turkish exporters found new markets such as Romania, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia which largely compensated for the loss. Oranges and mandarins were the products most affected by the Russia ban. Turkish citrus producers complain about the difference between the price received by the farmer and the high price charged at the retail outlet.Producers are not seeing profits, which is leading them to consider getting out of the citrus production business. Prices are so low that some citrus is not even worth picking and farmers occasionally leave the produce to rot on the trees.
