In Turkey, a small protest to protect an Istanbul park singled out for redevelopment has spilled over into large demonstrations numbering in the tens of thousands.
Varied sections of the Turkish population have seemingly been unified by their common frustration at prime minister Recep Erdogan's autocratic ambitions, as well as at the heavy-handed response of the authorities.
To make matters worse for the government, the left-wing Kesk trade union confederation, which represents some 240,000 workers, has now begun a two-day strike in support of the protests.
However, the impact on the fresh produce industry has so far been minimal, according to exporters.
'The riots are not affecting the export business at the moment,' said Aysel Oguz of Eren Tarim. 'The trucks continue to pass the borders without a problem, and vessels and airlines are still running as scheduled.'
Kerim Taner of Alara summarised the situation in just three words: 'Business as usual.'
Nevertheless, there remains a fear that, should the situation be handled in the wrong manner, the effects could be more extreme.
'At the moment, the riots are not dangerous,' said Oguz. 'But we truly hope that the government makes the right decision before everything turns intochaos.'
The main Istanbul share index had bounced back by 3.87 per cent today, having closed 10.47 per cent down yesterday.
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