Apricots harvested sustainably in Malatya

Apricots harvested in Malatya (Turkey) are still dried by traditional methods that are less harmful to the environment.

Malatya apricots are often sun-dried by family-run orchards following traditional methods, and collected and shipped throughout the world. Apricots are picked by hand around July, the exact harvest time being determined by the type of apricot, the altitude at which it is grown, the ripening, the getting yellow of its color, its softening and getting sweet and juicy. Picking the fruit by hand protects it from damage during harvest and ensures that they are at their peak.

The fruit is then washed and dried in natural sun ovens, or sulfur-dried to increase the preservation period and protect the fruit from insects. Spreading the apricots directly on earth, concrete, or cloths completes 10 % of the drying for both processes.

Malatya is the world’s largest producer of apricots, both fresh and dried. About 50% of fresh apricot production and 95% of dried apricot production in Turkey, the world's leading apricot producer, is provided from Malatya. Overall, about 10-15% of the worldwide crop of fresh apricots, and about 65-80% of the worldwide production of dried apricots come from Malatya.

Because local government is tasked with service provision and ensuring that social and economic development needs within the carrying capacity of the biological resource base, local government is an important manager of global biodiversity. ICLEI has established the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) project to explore the best ways for local governments to engage in effective biodiversity protection, utilization and management. For more information on LAB, please visit www.iclei.org/biodiversity.

Malatya is one of three local governments in Turkey that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Europe, please go to www.iclei.org/europe.

Source: “Facts: Varieties of Apricots”, Area Foreign Trade & Consulting Company website, and