Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 22 ISSUE 2
Written by Sultan POYRAZ, Mevlüt GÜL

In this study, the apricot market situation in the world and Turkey was examined. The study used the 1980-2020 period data of FAOSTAT and TURKSTAT institutions. It was determined that apricot production in the world and Turkey increased due to the enlargement of the planted areas in the examined period. Turkey, Uzbekistan, Italy, Algeria, and Iran have the highest apricot production. Turkey ranked first for apricot production and planting areas, and apricot yield was below the world average of 7,942 kg per hectare. Spain, Turkey, France, and Italy are the countries that export the freshest apricots. Of the 406 thousand tons of apricot exports globally, 54.84 percent belong to Spain, 21.69% to Greece, and 6.45% to Turkey. In the export of dried apricots, Turkey ranks first with a share of 67.6%. The essential dried apricot importing countries are the USA, Russia, England, and Kazakhstan. The important countries to which Turkey exports fresh apricots are Iraq (49.6%), the Russian Federation (29.8%), and Syria (5.2%). The important countries to which Turkey exports dried apricots are the USA (11.1%), France (7.7%), and Germany (7.4%). In the periods discussed, Turkey's apricot planted area increased by 185%, 368% in production, and a 64% increase in yield. Accordingly, the expansion in planted areas affected the production increase more. Apricot production in Turkey is concentrated in Malatya, Mersin, Elazığ, Iğdır, and Isparta provinces. Most of the apricots produced in Malatya are offered for consumption in dried form. As a result, world apricot production increased with significant improvements in planted area and yield. In Turkey, this situation mostly affected output because of the developments in the planted areas. The yield level of apricots, whose fruit and seeds are used in many fields such as food, medicine, and cosmetics in Turkey, should be brought to the average world level and prevent fluctuations in prices.

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