Production and marketing of organic dried apricot and the tendencies of apricot producers for the future in Turkey: Case study of Malatya

13th International Symposium on Apricot Breeding and Culture -- JUN 13-17, 2005 -- Murcia, SPAINWOS: 000243497100056Turkey is one of the best-suited countries for organic cultivation in the world. The number of organic farmers is also increasing year by year. As a result of these developments, the variety of organic products is increasing. While raisins, apricots and dried figs were the primary organic products of Turkey in 1985, 174 kinds of agricultural products were produced organically in Turkey in 2004. In this study, organic dried apricot has been studied. Turkey is one of the leading apricot-producing countries in the world with not only fresh and dried apricot production but also organic dried apricot. Organic dried apricot is produced mainly in Malatya province in Turkey. An important part of the organic dried apricot production in Turkey is exported and the rest is sold in the domestic market. Organic dried apricot has a significant place, with a 12.74% share of the total value of the organic exports in 2003. In the scope of this study, firstly, organic dried apricot production and its marketing in Turkey have been investigated. Then, the findings of a survey which was done with the apricot producers in Malatya have been discussed. In this way, the knowledge of apricot-producing farms regarding organic dried apricot and the likelihood of them producing organic dried apricots in the future have been determined. Organic dried apricot production is not widespread among the investigated farms. Most of the producers have received the information on production of organic dried apricot from their friends or neighbours and from control and certification firms. Of the producers, 50.42% are likely to produce organic dried apricots in the future. An evaluation by farm groups revealed that most (64.29%) of the large-sized farms (the third group) have this opinion.CEBAS, Int Soc Hort SciTUBITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK); TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)This study has been supported by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey). Gratitude is expressed to TUBITAK for financial assistance and to the apricot growers who provided assistance for the survey