Türkiye Watermelons Imposes Quality Despite Tough Competition from Spain

Fresh Watermelon

Published Aug 8, 2023

Adverse weather has influenced Turkish watermelon production, although crop quality remains high. Türkiye faces competition from Spain, Italy, and Greece in the European market. At the same time, Tridge On-the-Ground Updates reports that the harvest in Adana is scheduled to last until Sept-23, with a production yield of roughly 550,000 metric tons (mt). Türkiye's export volume of fresh watermelon climbed 58.19% year-on-year (YoY) in 2022 to 145,870 mt, with Germany enjoying the most extensive YoY export value growth. Despite competition from Spain, Italy, and Greece, Türkiye's export volume and value are predicted to improve in 2023.

Due to weather fluctuations with unseasonably cold temperatures and the late onset of winter, the Turkish watermelon season has been pushed back. However, crop quality remains strong, despite lower-than-usual harvest volumes. Regarding the European market, Türkiye must compete with Spain, Italy, and Greece, and it's a race to see who can enter the market first.

Adana is Türkiye's second most significant watermelon-producing area, producing around 700 mt in 2022. This figure represents 20% of the watermelon production in Türkiye, where annual national production was 3,5 million mt in 2022, according to Tridge On-the-Ground Updates. The 2023 harvest started with Adana delayed due to unfavorable climate conditions and unseasonably cold weather. The harvest is expected to continue until September, with a scheduled production yield in 2023 of around 550 thousand mt in Adana. The declining production area – from 11,000 to 8,000 hectares (ha), a 27.27% YoY drop – and the cold weather are the primary reasons behind the reduction in the expected production. Overall, Türkiye watermelon production for 2022 was 3.33 million mt, a 4.03% YoY downturn, and the negative production trend is likely to continue in 2023 due to reduced acreage and high input costs.

Watermelon from Osmaneli, a central watermelon production hub in the Marmara Region, is shipped to Ukraine, Germany, and Poland. Over 300 farmers from Osmaneli and its surrounding villages planted 8,650 acres of watermelons this year. The crop's quality is projected to be good in size and taste, with reasonable overall expectations for the rest of the season. However, prices are already lower due to competition from Spain and Greece, which drives down prices. Growers are shifting away from seeded varieties, with local grocery chains pursuing seedless cultivars and supermarkets focused on contracted growers for season-long seedless watermelons.

Türkiye Share of Export Destinations for Fresh Watermelons in 2022

Source: Tridge

Russia, Poland, and Germany were the top three destinations for Türkiye watermelons in 2022 and continue to be the focus of Turkish traders in 2023, while overall export volume increased 58.19% YoY to 145,870 mt. Of these countries, Germany experienced the highest YoY growth in import value of 274.26% YoY, up to USD 4.27 million in 2022.

Despite fierce competition from Spain, Italy, and Greece, Türkiye watermelons are entering the European Union (EU) market and increasing their overall share. Tridge expects further export volume and value of Turkish watermelons to increase in 2023, driven by stable production and demand and followed by suitable crop quality.