"AUCTION" PERIOD BEGINS FOR EU-REGISTERED MALATYA APRICOTS.

A new era is beginning in the sale of Malatya apricots, Türkiye's third product to receive geographical indication registration from the European Union (EU). Apricots stored in a 5,000-ton capacity warehouse belonging to the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality, as well as those brought in by producers, will first be analyzed in a laboratory to determine their class and value. The apricots will then be conveyed via conveyor belts to traders and exporters waiting at their computers, before reaching their buyers. This way, traders and exporters will purchase apricots according to their classification, and the products will gain value. Ramazan Özcan, President of the Malatya Commodity Exchange, stated that licensed warehouses are an important facility for both apricot producers and buyers. Özcan, who stated that the new system will involve the sale of products electronically, said:
"The producer will first put their product through certain analyses and tests in the laboratory and then transfer it to the conveyor belt area in this auction. Our traders will see the product's caliber, color, smell, texture, moisture, and sulfur content on the screen and will determine a price accordingly. After this pricing, the tables will be shared with the producer and the seller, and if the buyer and seller act together decisively, the transaction will take place."

COMPETITION WILL ALSO INCREASE QUALITY
Özcan stated that they expect apricot producers in the city to work on improving the quality of the product after starting to sell through the auction method, and expressed that Malatya apricots will gain value. Reminding that apricot is a strategic product, Özcan noted the following:
"While we are transitioning to quality production together with the producer, we are actually directing the producer to an area where there are many sellers. In other words, the product leaves an area where there are only a certain number of buyers, and we are directing it to an area where all buyers are together in general. This aims to find the right buyer, and the producer has the chance to get a higher price or a more affordable price. For the buyer, they can find the most suitable seller here, whom they have not seen or known before. We are organizing a system that can protect both the buyer and the seller at the same time."