In the first quarter of this year, the depreciation of the ruble caused a 12 percent decline in the amount of fresh fruit exported and a 14 percent decline in the value of fresh fruit exported. Speaking to an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter, Turkish Fresh Fruit Exporters Union Chairman Ali Kavak noted that at the end of the first three months of the year in 2014, the amount of fresh fruit exports was over $611.4 million, whereas this year it dropped to $526.6 million in the same term. While the export amount of fresh fruits was around 1.4 million tons last year, this year in the first three months of 2015, it was only around 880,000 tons. Kavak noted that while there are many reasons for this decline in exports, the problems in neighboring markets such as Ukraine, Russia, Iraq and the Middle East and seasonal problems, such as rain problems, had a crucial effect. He also added that since 65 percent of Turkey's fresh fruit exports are to Russia, depreciation of the ruble and Turkish exporters making credit sales to this market and the resulting financial problems were one of the main reasons in the decline in exports.