The place and importance of apricots in the Turkish economy

In this study, Turkey's apricot production and export were examined, and the current situation was presented comprehensively. In addition, Turkey's strengths and weaknesses in apricot production were determined using SWOT analysis, and opportunities and threats were evaluated. According to the results, Turkey is the leader in exports of apricots, especially dried apricots. Russia, Germany, England, the USA, France, and Italy are important countries for exports of apricots. The results obtained from the SWOT analysis revealed that Turkey has strong aspects, such as being a world leader, having a suitable geographical structure, high quality, and high export potential; on the other hand, it has weak aspects, such as high production costs, marketing deficiencies, climatic risks, the small size of enterprises, and a lack of active producer unions. On the other hand, while opportunities such as increasing export volume and productivity, organic production, and by-product development opportunities offer important advantages for the development of the sector, it was revealed that threats such as climate change, diseases and pests, trade barriers, exchange rate fluctuations, and global competition make sustainability in the sector difficult. The present strengths reinforce Turkey's leading position in the world market. However, it has been concluded that to maintain this leadership, weaknesses must be assessed and eliminated, opportunities must be evaluated in the best way possible, proactive measures must be taken against threats and policies must be implemented accordingly.