Apricots from Malatya, a city in central Turkey, had received geographical identification designation from the European unio, however now they are in danger of quality loss due to changing climate conditions.

The city itself is responsible for 85 % of Turkey’s apricot exports but with the rain in the harvest season, freckle disease started to spread. Malatya is well known for its apricot production and last year Malatya growers had 672,670 tons of apricots which generated a revenue of 350 million USD for the city.

The experts estimate that there will be a 30 % quality decline in the products due to heavy rains which occurred during May. As the harvest season has started, growers are concerned about the quality of their products and losing their position in export markets.

Experts also point out the changes in the climate conditions as the main reason for the quality problems. Apricot trees need a certain level of cold below zero degree in winter time but the number of days wher temperatures dropped below zero degree was significantly less than in previous years. This change, coupled with the unusual heavy rains in May, and some occasional hailstorms, resulted in significant losses of quality.