Turkish Dried Apricots Ease Lower as Wide Price Spread Persists

Mainstream Turkish dried apricot prices are easing slightly, with sulphured FOB Mersin levels marked down while organic and unsulphured naturals retain a firm premium. Ample 2026 crop availability and a quiet spot market point to broadly stable-to-softer prices over the next few days. The Turkish dried apricot complex enters early November with a clearly better-supplied 2026/27 season and significantly higher export volumes than a year ago, but demand remains cautious and selective. Recent trade data show exports since season start sharply above 2025 levels, while average export unit values in USD are lower, reflecting a more competitive market. At the same time, local grower prices in Malatya still span a very wide range between industrial and jumbo grades, and premium organic naturals continue to command a visible surcharge. In this environment, FCA Europe prices for Turkish origin are softening modestly, especially for smaller calibres, while high-grade organic FOB offers show only limited downside.

Prices

Latest FCA Dordrecht quotations for Turkish dried apricots are fractionally lower month-on-month but edged up versus last week, signalling a stabilising market after October’s gradual softening. Conventional calibres range from EUR 5.95–7.05 FCA, with a clear size-related price ladder. In Türkiye, FOB Mersin quotations for sulphured grades have been reduced more visibly than for organic and unsulphured fruit, widening the premium gap for top-end product.

Supply & Demand

The 2026 Turkish dried apricot crop has recovered strongly from the frost-reduced 2025 season, with Malatya production estimates around 80,000 mt and national exports in the first months up more than 80% year-on-year. Despite this, market commentary highlights subdued spot demand, with growers in Malatya still holding a very wide TRY/kg range between industrial and jumbo fruit as they resist steeper discounts.

Export unit values in USD have eased compared with last season, confirming a more competitive pricing environment for importers. On the demand side, European industrial and retail buyers remain cautious, focusing on cover for nearby needs while watching how quickly the larger crop moves through the pipeline. This combination of plentiful supply and hesitant buying underpins the current soft-to-sideways price pattern, particularly for standard sulphured grades.

Fundamentals & Weather

Short-term weather in the core dried apricot belt is largely neutral for prices. Malatya is forecast mostly cloudy and cool over the next three days, with intermittent light rain and highs around 11–12°C, typical for early November and supportive of storage and logistics rather than field activity. Along the export corridor in Mersin, conditions should remain partly sunny with a few showers and highs near 21–23°C, allowing normal port operations.

With the 2026 crop already harvested and dried, these weather patterns pose little immediate risk to physical availability. Instead, key near-term fundamentals are export pace, buyers’ willingness to extend cover and currency developments. Recent national export statistics confirm that dried fruit and products account for around 1% of Türkiye’s total exports by value, underlining the sector’s structural importance and the likelihood that authorities and traders will aim to keep trade flows smooth.

Trading Outlook (3–5 days)

• Importers / packers: Standard sulphured FOB Mersin and FCA Europe prices are softening modestly; consider topping up nearby cover in No. 4–5 sizes while the market is quiet, but avoid over-committing in large volumes until export flow and currency trends become clearer.
• Retail and organic buyers: Organic and unsulphured premiums remain wide but have edged slightly lower; targeted spot purchases in organic No. 1–3 may be warranted for Q1 needs, as upside risk is smaller than last year but premiums are still meaningful.
• Turkish sellers: With exports running well ahead of last season yet spot demand still subdued, holding very ambitious offers risks missing business; maintaining competitive, quality-differentiated pricing should help sustain the strong export pace without triggering a sharp correction.

3-Day Regional Price Direction

• Malatya / Mersin FOB TR: Broadly stable to slightly softer for conventional sulphured grades; organic and high-grade unsulphured expected to hold mostly steady with only minor downward bias.
• FCA Dordrecht (TR origin): After small recent upticks from end-October levels, near-term bias is sideways, with limited downside as long as export demand continues to absorb the larger Turkish crop.