Dried Organic Apricots Business Content Background Supply chain structure Agricultural production Harvesting & post-harvest handling Raw material purchase Processing & packaging Export & import Conclusions facing key challenges Since they are not treated with sulphur, organic apricots have a darker color than conventional ones.
Background Turkey is one of the world s largest producers of apricots. Turkish dried apricots are of a special quality which is unique in its taste and shape and makes them a desired produce on the world markets. Annual production volume: conventional ca. 90 000 tons, organic ca. 10 000 tons Main importing countries: USA and EU countries Presently, around 8-10 % of the total apricot area in Turkey is under organic management. Apricots are grown in the east of Turkey, on the high plateau of Malatya. This area has a continental climate with cold winters, wet springs and hot dry summers that make irrigation a major factor for achieving satisfactory yields. The production of apricots demands substantial labour input. Fruits are harvested without mechanical support, open air drying is done by the farmers and each single kernel is removed by hand. Final processing and packing is done in specialized factories. It is prohibited to treat organic apricots with sulphur, which is a standard method for conventional apricots giving them a shiny orange appearance. Consequently, organic apricots are of a much darker colour.
Individual or farmer groups Middlemen Processors Foreign buyers The supply chain of the organic apricot business involves mostly four different Sun drying of apricots after harvest. actors along the value chain: Farmers They produce fresh apricots in their own orchards; they harvest and dry the fruits and remove the kernels. The unprocessed dried apricots are sold to intermediate traders (middlemen). Middlemen They act as aggregators, organizing the production and buying the dried apricots from farmers and selling these bulks to a processing company. Most of the time, middlemen have a contract with the processing company. Middlemen often play an important role in financing the harvest. Processors They act as project owners, providing organic inputs and technical consultancy to contracted farmers, for which they pay the organic certification and do the necessary processing for export. Some processors buy the dried unprocessed apricots directly from farmers, without middlemen. Foreign buyers They buy organic apricots in bulks or packed to sell them as food ingredients or packed as a final product to supermarkets and specialty shops. Source: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen Supply Chain Structure
Organic apricot farmers in Turkey have limited crop management capacities. Soil analysis to better understand nutrient requirements and professional pruning is Good apricot yields require irrigation in Malatya. not a standard practice. All in all, the following areas merit special attention: Soil cultivation & soil fertility Farmers tend to turn the soil with deep ploughing, which rather damages the root system and reduces the quality of soil structure. To enhance soil health and structure, shallow soil cultivation is recommended together with practices that enhance the content of organic matter in the soil, especially the growing and incorporation of green manure. Also, weeds are better controlled this way. Pest management Fungal diseases and various insects are key problems in organic apricot production. As no synthetic chemicals can be used in organic production, naturally derived pesticides are used, e.g. pyrethrum, neem, Bacillus thuringiensis, pheromones (traps), copper compounds and paraffin oil. Drift from neighboring fields may require prevention measures, e.g.??. Irrigation Irrigation is a must in apricot cultivation in Malatya. Most organic orchards are flooded 3-4 times a year. Yet, to save and optimize water supply and reduce damage through erosion drip irrigation should be used, ideally. Good monitoring of water requirements and the irrigation equipment is essential. Source: pixabay.com Agricultural Production
Harvest / Sorting & Grading Harvest and post-harvest activities at the farm level are key to ensure optimal product quality. Important are best practices in regard to the following: Nylon sheets are used to ensure a clean harvest. Harvesting Harvesting is mostly done by a temporary workers, which shake the trees and collect the fruits falling on the nylon sheets placed on the ground. This technology is of great relevance to prevent contamination with soil and to reduce the impact of fruits hitting the ground. Damaged fruits are sorted out during collection. Usually, plastic bins are used for transport to a drying place. Drying & pitting In a suitable clean place usually with plastic sheets laid on the ground apricots are dried in the open air for 2-3 days. Then, the kernels are removed by hand in such a way that the fruit retains its whole shape; this process is called pitting or "patik". The whole pitted fruits are further dried until a humidity of 16% is reached. Storage Dried apricots are gathered in bags or crates to be transported to storage rooms owned by farmers or middlemen. Sorting and grading is generally done later by middlemen or processors.
Raw Material Purchase The purchasing of raw material may refer to freshly harvested produce or to already dried produce. In both cases, middlemen might be involved, when buying companies don t receive the apricots directly in their processing facilities. Such collection centres have different roles and functions: Collection centers involve sorting and grading. Washing Since farmers have limited capacities to wash the apricots, collection centres may have the needed infrastructure to do so guaranteeing a better implementation of this process. Sorting Since farmers have little interest in losing sales volume due to sorting, a collection centre working for a buying company will make sure that sorting is done homogenously, as wished by the buyer. Grading Since farmers might do the grading slightly different, a few specialized people in the collection centre might do this job better and faster than individual farmers. Important: Such collection centres are also subject to organic control and certification. To avoid contamination with conventional produce, this infrastructure should ideally only be used for organic fruits!
Processing Industrial processing of the dried apricots is indispensable for further marketing. The following steps are involved: Export markets imply industrial processing. Reception & quality control of raw material Each lot that is received at the processing plant is verified in terms of quality. Ideally, clean and undamaged fruits without foreign matter are received. For quality verification, different parameters are evaluated ( see separate slide), determining also the price paid for the raw material. Product treatment & cold storage To kill all insects and eggs in the dried fruits, all produce is treated with CO2 or shock frozen (at -24 C for 3 hours). This process is necessary because organic fruits are not sulphured unlike conventional ones. To safeguard product quality, the raw material is stored at 4-8 C. Washing & classification Prior to packaging, the stored produce is washed with running water to eliminate last impurities dried again with special ovens (to reach a humidity level of 20-22%), and graded according to size. For marketing purposes, sizes 0 8 are used ( see separate slide).
Quality Verification The following parameters are used in quality verification in the moment of receiving raw material at the processing plant: 1st quality parameters Fruit size Humidity Foreign material (sand, stones, plastic, broken kernels, etc.) 2nd quality parameters Dirty fruits Damaged fruits Underdeveloped fruits Colour Waste parameters Moldy fruits Fruits damaged by insects Apricot kernels Reception quality might vary. Bad quality might be completely rejected (above), very good quality might receive premium payments (below).
Classification by size Prior to packaging the final product, a final classification is performed. Size 0 relates to the biggest category, Size 8 to the smallest one. The number of dried fruits per kg vary accordingly: Size 0 Size 1 Size 2 Size 3 Size 4 Size 5 Size 6 Size 7 Size 8 61-80 pcs/kg 81-100 pcs/kg 101-120 pcs/kg 121-140 pcs/kg 141-160 pcs/kg 161-180 pcs/kg 181-200 pcs/kg 201-220 pcs/kg 221+ pcs/kg Final grading is key to obtain size homogeneity and improve the presentation of the final produce.
Packaging Packaging refers to the last processing step. At this stage, different aspects must still be considered to ensure optimal product and service quality for clients: Packaging is done according to clients requests. Last quality control Prior to packaging, a last quality control is performed to especially ensure that the humidity level of the final produce is not over 25% as stipulated in the Turkish 485 Dry Apricot Standard. Packaging & labeling according to clients demand Packaging size and material is chosen in agreement with each client. Labelling is done in accordance with national and international legislation and the specific requirements for organic products. Use of metal detector All packaged products must pass through a metal detector. Processing facilities usually have this equipment installed at the end of the packaging line ( see picture). HACCP and the use of metal detectors are standard in this type of export business.
Export & Import Export and import relates to the following main activities and aspects: Optimal warehouse conditions are cool and dry. Warehousing Packed and labelled products are stored in a cool and dry place until delivery to the final destination. Logistics and labelling must be organized in a way as to guarantee traceability of the product. Shipment According to delivery contracts, final products are mainly loaded into export containers or trucks. Delivery and paying conditions are specified according to Incoterms. Most frequent payment arrangement is CAD (cash against documents) in which an exporter instructs a bank to hand over shipping and title documents to the importer when the importer fully pays the accompanying bill of exchange or draft. Inspection & certification The infrastructure and procedures of both the exporting and importing company are inspected and certified. Labels are subject to approval from the inspecting control bodies. Requirements may slightly vary, according to the standard used for certification (e.g. EU, US, Bio Suisse).
Conclusions Facing Key Challenges In summary, the business success in producing and trading organic dried apricots is strongly influenced by the conceptualization and activity performance in three main areas: Integration of primary production and processing activities The quality of the final product is strongly dependent on the quality of harvested fruits and the performance of post-harvest activities. If middlemen are involved in the purchase process, they should be respectively trained to prevent fruit quality problems, such as commingling with conventional produce. A price system should be applied to create incentives for supplying good quality raw material. Organic premiums and timely payment to the farmers are important for supplier loyalty and for fraud prevention. Agricultural extension & services to farmers Training activities to cope with pests and diseases plus support services (e.g. provision of organic inputs, subsidies for irrigation equipment, pre-financing of harvests) are key to increase and sustain farmers capacity to produce high quality raw material over time. Quality assurance (QA) along the supply chain To meet the demands of foreign markets and clients in terms of quality and product traceability and to avoid certification problems QA along the whole supply chain must be a priority of the processing company, together with constant capacity building in this regard for farmer groups and middlemen.
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