Turkey's fruit exports up 16% in 2013

Turkey's fruit exports went up 16 percent to reach 708.5 million U.S. dollars in 2013, a record high in recent years, official data showed on Sunday. Turkey exported 15 percent more grapes in 2013 than in 2012 with a value of 187 million dollars, making grape its most exported fruit for the year, according to the data released by the Turkish Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association. Cherry made up 22 percent of Turkey's fruit exports, ranking second after grape with a value of 155 million dollars. The data also showed that Russia was Turkey's biggest fruit importer last year, whose imports (235 million dollars) accounted for 33 percent of the total. Russia was followed by Germany who imported 127 million dollars worth of fruit from Turkey in 2013, then Bulgaria with 43 million dollars and Iraq with 40 million dollars worth of imported fruit from Turkey.