Avocados produced in Alanya, a leading agricultural district in Turkey's Mediterranean city Antalya, has begun exporting avocados to Poland. It joins Alanya's existing markets like Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Georgia and Iran.

Alanya Avocado Producers Association Chairman Hilmi Sevilgen said the association recently recorded its first exports of "early" avocados.

He added that Alanya accounts for more than 70 percent of avocados produced in Turkey. "We aim to produce 50 million avocados in an area of 40,000 hectares," he said. Sevilgen noted that avocado production was not at the desired level in recent years, but together with the harvest of "early" avocados, demands from abroad have begun to increase.

He said they wanted to expand t

he market for avocado exports. "We have sent 5,000 avocados to Poland on a trial basis. When we have enough products, we will send 90,000 more avocados to Poland," Sevilgen said. "Normally we were exporting in November and December, but the avocados saw early demand due to their high quality." He added that avocados grown in Alanya are preferred for their flavor. "But the biggest problem is the lack of products," he said.

Erkan Keklik, a fruit company representative, confirmed that they sent avocados to Poland for the first time.

"Since avocados are a new product, the exports are not substantial," Keklik said, adding that there were problems in packaging but believed the problem could be solved. Mykola Auzing, a representative of the Polish company, said they preferred Turkish avocados for their delicious taste and high quality. He hoped the trade would grow further in the future

.

Avocado first came to Turkey from Mexico in 1963. However, at the beginning of the 1990s, professional farming began in Antalya's Gazipaşa and Mersin's Anamur regions. Known for their antioxidant qualities, four avocados weigh around 1 kilogram.