Evaluation of Almond Marketing Organization in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey

Black Sea Journal of Public and Social Science 2(2): 60-68 (2019) Black Sea Journal of Public and Social Science Open Access Journal e-ISSN: 2618-6640 BSPublishers Research Article Volume 2- Issue 2: 60-68 / July 2019 EVALUATION OF ALMOND MARKETING ORGANIZATION IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION OF TURKEY Fikriye YAZAR1, Arzu SECER2* 1Turkish Grain Board, 01330, Adana, Turkey 2Cukurova University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, 01000, Adana, Turkey Received: October 10, 2018; Accepted: January 01, 2019; Published: July 01, 2019 Abstract Total almond planting area in Turkey was 8.2 thousand hectares in 2000, while the figure increased 4.3 times to 35.2 thousand hectares as of 2017.The Eastern Mediterranean Region has a share of 16.75% in Turkey's total almond production. For the future, effective marketing of the increasing level of production is considered very important. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the marketing structures and problems in the field of almond production and to develop solution proposals for the Eastern Mediterranean region. For this purpose, face to face interviews were conducted with 100 producers, 8 intermediaries, 4 retailers and 2 almond processing plants in the region. Research results show that the average land size of farms and almond orchards were 33.44 decares and 24.33 decares respectively. The total amount of harvested unripe almonds was 40,600 kg, while the total amount of harvested shelled almonds was 324,300 kg. Unripe almond is directly sold to the traders and consumers, while shelled almond is sold to merchants and the BADEMDER association. The most important problems faced in the marketing of almond in the research area were determined as the limited number of buyers, lack of varieties, inadequate market knowledge and inadequate quality or quantity of the processing facilities. Producers should be encouraged to gather under cooperatives to provide the services they need in almond production and marketing. In order to establish a common trademark for almond, entrepreneurs should be conscious and support the industry by establishing more comprehensive almond processing facilities. Keywords: Almond, Marketing Organization, SWOT Analysis, Eastern Mediterranean Region *Corresponding author: Cukurova University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, Adana, Turkey Email: (A. SECER) Fikriye YAZAR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8365-2252 Arzu SECER https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1347-4988 Cite as: Yazar F, Secer A. 2019. Evaluation of almond marketing organization in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. BSJ Pub SocSci, 2(2): 60-68. 1. Introduction Almond (Prunus dulcis), a member of the nuts family, is reproduced by use of the seeds belonging to the family of the roses. There are two types of the fruit, one is sweet and the other is bitter seed. Sweet almond seeds are used in the pastry, confectionery and chocolate, almond oil and almond flour industries, while the seeds of bitter almonds are used as additives in the cosmetics industry BSJ Pub. Soc. Sci. / Fikriye YAZAR and Arzu SECER 60 Black Sea Journal of Public and Social Science (Ozudogru, 2003). While total almond planting area was 8,200 hectares in Turkey in 2000, it increased to 35,200 hectares as of 2017 thanks to the government support programs. Average almond yield varies from year to year due to climate conditions and the effects of various diseases, and it is seen that the average yield per tree between 2000 and 2017 varied between 11 kg and17 kg. As a result of the increase in both almond planting areas and yield, total almond production rose by 91.49% from 47,000 tons in 2000 to 90,000 tons as of 2017(TSI, 2018). According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI) data for the year 2017, almond planting areas in Turkey concentrate in the Southeastern Anatolia (28.97%), Aegean (27.61%) and Mediterranean (16.78%) regions. The data reveal that the regions with the highest amount of almond production are Mediterranean (27.70%), Aegean (23.34%) and Southeastern Anatolia (21.45%) (TSI, 2017). Total almond planting area in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, in which this study was conducted, increased by 11.6 times from 307 hectares in 2000 to 3,552 hectares as of 2017, and average almond yield also increased from 13 kg/tree to 15 kg/tree in the same period. Therefore, total almond production increased by 2.2 times from 6.857 tons in 2,000 to 15,078 tons as of 2017 (TSI, 2018). Almost 12.47% of almond trees are fruitless, while the remaining 87.53% yield fruits. The production amount will increase further when fruitless trees start to yield. Effective marketing of this production capacity will be very important in the future. The climate and vegetation of the Eastern Mediterranean region are suitable for growing almonds. In addition to this, in terms of the export potential offered by the geographical location, almond is of great importance for both the region and the national economy. The literature includes only a limited number of studies on the economic and marketing structure of the almond production industry (Murua et al., 1993, Kaska et al., 1999, Sengul and Emeksiz, 2001, Yazdani et al., 2006, Jafar and Saeed, 2010, Salem and Zare, 2010, Isgin and Ak., 2011; Oguz et al., 2011; Pezikoglu et al., 2012; Ahmadzai, 2016;). Besides, there is no study addressing the almond marketing structure in Turkey in the literature. In this study, general characteristics of almond production in the Eastern Mediterranean region (size of farms, size of almond planting areas, number of parcels in farms, number of parcels in almond planting areas, number and ages of almond trees), demographic properties of almond producers (age of producers, number of households, agricultural production experience of producers and level of experience in almond production) and the structure of almond marketing organization (marketing channels, intermediaries and marketing services) were tried to be revealed. In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of the almond industry and the opportunities and threats the industry is facing were presented through SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. Based on the findings obtained, suggestions were made to contribute to the development of the almond industry in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. 2. Material and Method 2.1. Material The main material of the study is the primary data obtained from face-to-face interviews with almond producers, intermediaries, processing plant owners and retailers. Questionnaires prepared separately for producers and intermediaries were given their final form after the pilot survey study had been conducted. The fieldwork was carried out between 1st of March and 30th of March 2018, and data was collected for the 2017 production season. The data for the SWOT analysis were provided through interviews made with the enterprises in the almond processi (...truncated)