Malatya Apricot Growers Squeezed as Big Exporters Hold Prices Down

Malatya’s new apricot season is starting under clear price pressure: growers complain of unfairly low returns while a small group of exporters holds the upper hand, keeping origin prices subdued despite steady international demand and stable export indications. The spotlight on market manipulation in Turkey’s hazelnut sector has sharpened local frustration in Malatya, where producers say they face a similar oligopolistic structure in dried apricots. While European demand for Turkish dried apricots remains firm and FOB offers have been broadly steady since early September, Malatya farmers argue that competition at origin has effectively disappeared and that outside fruit and concentrated buying power are weighing on farmgate values. With the season just underway, calls are growing for the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) and the Ministry of Trade to extend inspections and price-support tools to apricots in order to prevent further erosion of producer income.

Prices

Despite local complaints, listed export and EU warehouse prices point to a broadly steady dried apricot market rather than an outright collapse. At origin, Malatya FOB quotations for conventional sulphured grades cluster around the upper single-digit EUR/kg range, with, for example, dried apricots no. 1 sulphured (2000 ppm) at Malatya holding at 8.2 EUR/kg FOB and no. 4 sulphured at 7.63 EUR/kg FOB. Natural unsulphured Malatya-origin fruit remains at a premium, with unsulphured no. 1 at 8.3 EUR/kg FOB and organic no. 1 unsulphured at 9.2 EUR/kg FOB.

In European warehouses, Turkish-origin dried apricots are trading at a discount to these FOB levels, reflecting freight, stocks and competitive cross-fruit dynamics. In Dordrecht (NL), FCA prices for conventional apricots range from 6.10–7.20 EUR/kg depending on size, with size no. 8 at 6.15 EUR/kg FCA and size no. 0 at 7.20 EUR/kg FCA. In Lodz (PL), dried apricots no. 8 (TR-1123) are quoted at 4.80 EUR/kg FCA as of 21 September 2026, down slightly from 4.85 EUR/kg in mid-September, underlining mild softening on secondary grades while core origins remain stable.

Supply & Demand and Market Structure

The Malatya harvest has begun, and overall availability of dried apricots is adequate after last season’s frost-related shortfalls. Industry estimates for the 2026 crop suggest production in the 75,000–80,000 MT range, with the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) pegging Turkey’s new crop at around 75,000 MT. This is below a bumper year but sufficient to maintain Turkey’s dominance in global dried apricot trade, where it routinely accounts for over 60% of world exports.

Yet, the key tension is not volume but bargaining power. According to Malatya’s agricultural leadership, five major exporters and market players effectively “siege” the local market, using their concentrated buying power to push prices down at the farmgate. Producers complain that apricots from outside Malatya are being brought in and blended into the supply stream, diluting the leverage of local farmers just as the new season opens. In their view, competition at origin has vanished, and exporters are able to hold opening prices below what growers see as a fair reflection of production costs and export margins.

On the demand side, reports from commercial news services describe a quiet but fundamentally balanced market: exports from Turkey are broadly above last year’s pace, but September shipments from Malatya have been slower than some traders expected, which market participants partly attribute to unstable or contested price signals and cautious destination buying. Overall, EU demand remains firm, keeping the export window open, yet buyers are in no rush to chase offers higher while origin tensions remain unresolved.

Fundamentals, Policy and Weather

The domestic policy backdrop is increasingly important. The Ministry of Trade has already deployed inspectors and ordered broad audits in the hazelnut markets of Ordu and Giresun to counter speculative trading and protect growers. Inspired by that move, Malatya’s apricot producers are now explicitly asking whether similar investigations will be launched in the dried apricot market, especially into the pricing behavior of the so‑called “Big Five” exporters. Their demands are reinforced by a wider national crackdown on food price manipulation, with recent law-enforcement actions against large fruit and vegetable suppliers accused of artificial price hikes and market distortion.

Producers are also calling for the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) to intervene directly in apricots, arguing that in a market where competition has disappeared, only a state-backed floor price and purchase program can stop growers being “crushed” between costly production and concentrated buyers. If TMO were to announce a procurement price near prevailing FOB benchmarks, it could quickly re-anchor expectations and limit the ability of exporters to force farmgate prices significantly below export-equivalent values.

Weather conditions in Malatya currently support smooth post-harvest operations. Short-term forecasts from Turkish and international meteorological services show predominantly dry, seasonally warm weather with only isolated showers, conducive to final on-farm drying, grading and warehouse logistics. With no immediate weather threats, near-term market dynamics will hinge more on policy signals and exporter–producer negotiations than on supply disruption risks.

Trading Outlook and 3‑Day View

Trading outlook (next 2–4 weeks)

• Short term: Prices for core Malatya FOB sulphured and unsulphured grades are likely to remain broadly sideways, given steady EU demand and limited fresh bearish news. Local complaints suggest downside at farmgate is already stretched, while EU warehouse indications show only marginal softening on smaller sizes.
• Risk of policy-driven volatility: Any announcement of TMO intervention or an extension of Ministry of Trade audits to the apricot sector could quickly tighten offers at origin, lifting Malatya FOB values and prompting exporters to reprice forward positions.
• Buyer strategy: EU and overseas buyers with coverage through Q4 2026 may continue to buy hand-to-mouth, focusing on secondary grades such as cubes (8–10 mm, currently 3.95 EUR/kg FCA Dordrecht) and larger stocks in Poland at 4.80 EUR/kg FCA. Those with open positions into Q1 2027 should consider layering in partial coverage now, as the balance of risks tilts slightly towards higher, not lower, origin prices if policy support materializes.
• Seller strategy: Growers and packers in Malatya may resist further discounts and hold product in expectation of a TMO floor price or stronger export pull. Exporters with sufficient inventory may prioritize volume turnover at today’s levels while monitoring Ankara and Malatya policy communications closely.

3‑day directional outlook (prices in EUR, trend only)

Over the coming three days, absent any surprise regulatory headlines, the apricot market is expected to remain technically quiet but politically sensitive. Participants should watch Ankara’s signals on market audits and any TMO comments on stone fruit closely, as these could be the catalysts that break today’s uneasy stalemate between Malatya growers and the dominant exporters.