pomegranate

Severe storms have hit Turkey's pomegranate crop, according to a number of exporters in the region.

Heavy rain in week 41 has reportedly put a halt to the harvest and caused fruit to open up on the trees.

Esra Söyleyen of Aksun told Fruitnet.com that the conditions had damaged around 20 per cent of the company's crop in Antalya, in the southwest of the country.

Approximately 35 per cent of Aksun's pomegranates are produced in the region, she said.

The company had been anticipating an increase in production this season of around 10 per cent due to the introduction of new production areas elsewhere in the country, but as a result of the storm, volumes would be similar to last year, Söyleyen stated.

Akin Veziroglu, general manager of Meysan, reported that around 40 per cent of the company's pomegranates had been damaged in some areas.

He revealed that conditions in some regions had been even worse than in Antalya, including in Ortaca, an area around 250 kilometres west of Antalya, in Mugla Province.