Aydın Opens New Dried Fig Season With Ceremonial Price of 850 Lira per Kilogram
The first dried figs of Aydın’s new season were purchased for 850 Turkish lira per kilogram at a ceremony attended by 16 producers. Officials described the price as symbolic, while reporting a positive start to the harvest in Turkey’s main fig-producing region.
First dried figs sell for 850 lira per kilogram
Aydın, the center of Turkey’s fig industry, has formally opened its new dried fig season. The season’s first dried figs were purchased for 850 Turkish lira per kilogram during the traditional opening ceremony at the Aydın Commodity Exchange, according to Gazete Vatan.
The event brought together Aydın Governor Osman Varol, Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur, 16 producers and other guests. The transaction marked the ceremonial start of commercial activity around the new crop, but officials emphasized that the announced figure was a symbolic or guiding price rather than a broadly established market quotation.
Aydın remains central to Turkey’s fig supply
Varol said Turkey accounts for nearly 30% of global fig production, while Aydın produces 60% of the country’s total. Those shares make crop conditions in the province important for processors, exporters and buyers monitoring the availability of Turkish dried figs.
The governor said harvesting had already begun and described the start of this year’s crop as very good. The available report did not provide a production forecast, expected dried-fruit volume, quality breakdown or comparison with the previous season. It also did not specify indicative commercial prices beyond the ceremonial purchase, leaving the eventual market level dependent on the volume and quality delivered as harvesting progresses.
Industry focus shifts to crop value
Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı was expected to join harvesting activities in Aydın on the following Monday. Varol said discussions during the visit would again focus on figs, producers and ways to obtain more value from the crop.
For growers, the 850-lira transaction gives the season a visible opening figure, although its symbolic status limits its use as a reference for ordinary sales. Commercial prices will need to emerge through subsequent purchases between producers, processors and traders. Buyers will also require more information on the harvested crop before assessing supply conditions.
Aydın’s production share means developments in the province can influence the wider Turkish industry. Processors depend on the local harvest for raw material, while exporters require suitable quality and sufficient volume for overseas customers. A strong start in the orchards is therefore encouraging, but the source report provides no figures on export availability, destination markets or contracted demand.
Harvest data will determine the commercial picture
The opening ceremony establishes that the new dried fig season is under way and that the first lot attracted 850 Turkish lira per kilogram. It does not yet establish a representative price for the crop as a whole. The distinction is important for producers deciding when to sell and for processors and traders calculating procurement costs.
The next phase of the season will be shaped by actual arrivals, grading results and the prices paid in routine transactions. Until those indicators become available, the clearest signals are the reported positive start to harvesting and Aydın’s dominant role within Turkish production.
