Award-winning Turkish cherries in China

The first shipment of the cherries produced by Alanar Fruit, which operates under Tekfen Agri, to China without cold treatment reached Shanghai city. This shipment brought together the largest cherry consumer and the largest cherry producer of the world. Considering China's consumption potential, this represents a significant milestone in Turkey's export strategy.

Turkey Consulate General in Shanghai Ahmet Denk stated that the cherries for export without cold treatment products in Shanghai is an important turning point in trade between Turkey and China.

Tekfen Agri General Manager Emrah Ince said: “We made an important entry into the Chinese market. With the opportunity to ship without cold processing, we have gained an advantageous position in exports to China. In order to achieve this “competitive advantage”, we started to export cherries to China before the end of the season, replacing the 16-day cold treatment with 3-hour fumigation. This should not be considered only as the export of a product, because we now start to take over the marketing position of USA, which is one of the powerful actors of the market. Our goal is to remain in Chinese market for a long term, to which we have waited for years to enter without compromising quality and traceability. We will continue our efforts to ensure that Turkish cherry finds the value it deserves in the world.”

The cherries produced by one of Turkey's largest fruit producer and exporter companies, Alanar Fruit, which operates as a subsidiary of Tekfen Agri, were sent from Izmir to Shanghai, thereby entering into the Chinese market. The ceremony was held for this first shipment and was attended by senior representatives of the Turkish Consulate General in Shanghai and the companies which have imported the cherries, as well as the authorities of the large retail chains.

The significant characteristic of the cherries exported by Tekfen Agri to Shanghai is the fact that shipment was made without the use of cold storage. The procedure applied by China on Turkey with the requirement of “cold storage” of exported cherries was lifted as a result of negotiations and intense work carried out within the last year and following the examinations carried out in the facilities of Alanar Fruit, Turkish cherries have finally arrived in China. Before this, cherries had to be kept in cold storage for 16 days and this caused loss of Turkey's advantage against competitor countries in the market.

This shipment brought together the largest cherry consumer and the largest cherry producer of the world, and it is significant both for Turkey's export strategy and also very crucial for Turkish farmers. Because this means that the cherries produced in Turkey can now be sold to the world’s largest market.

Turkey Consulate General in Shanghai Ahmet Denk made a speech in the ceremony held at Huizhan Market in Shanghai, and said that this development will end the requirement for a 16-day cold process and the export of cherries without cold treatment to Shanghai constitutes a significant turning point in the trade relations between Turkey and China. Denk also said that as a result of the negotiations that started in 2018, this new situation will be the indicator that China will become one of the main export markets for Turkish cherries.

Tekfen Agri General Manager Emrah Ince also commented on this new development and stressed that this is very important for the Turkish Agriculture sector. Ince said that they did not only export a product with this shipment, but have made an important entry into the Chinese market. He said: “In order to achieve this “competitive advantage”, we replaced the 16-day cold treatment with 3-hour fumigation. With the widespread flight network of Turkish Airlines, we started exporting cherries to China before the end of this season. Of course, this development should not be considered as only a product export because the strategic dimension of the issue is much larger. We are nor gradually taking over USA’s place in the market. This export under the leadership of Tekfen Agri and Alanar Fruit is also very important for the Turkish producers. We continue to receive new orders from China every day, and considering the consumption potential of China, we believe that these demands will grow further in the coming days. Our goal is to remain in Chinese market for a long-term, o which we have waited for years to enter without compromising quality and traceability.”

Ince continued: "The advantage we have achieved through the use of fumigation method, will shift the Turkey's export geography for cherry to China next year. Tekfen Agri, as one of the 8 exporters/producers who qualify for this transaction, will continue with our efforts to ensure that Turkish cherry finds the value it deserves in the world.”

Exported Turkish cherries have received taste star

The cherries exported to China were awarded 2 gold stars flavor certificates with a score of 87.9 percent according to the results of 2019 Taste evaluation and certification carried out by Brussels-based International Taste Institute and thousands of food and beverage products from hundreds of countries. The process, in which only products with a performance of more than 70 percent are rated and certified by a jury consisting of Michelin star chefs and jury of world-renowned sommeliers, covers the evaluation of thousands of food and beverage products from all over the world.