Dear All,

I hope all’s well with you.

We would like to share the actual market situation for dried apricots as well as the latest prices to update your information.

The apricot prices are rising in Malatya especially for big sizes these days. Type 1,2 and 3 apricots are very limited in the market. There is also availability problems of Type 8 apricots as this item is sold very fast since the beginning of the season due to attractive price levels. The prices of medium sizes like Type 4,5 and 6’s are showing more stabile movement these days. Natural apricots are easier than previous years as the product is available with similar pricing to sulphured apricots at the moment. Industrial and diced apricots are also available without any problem at this stage of the season.

There are two different qualities available in the market this season therefore prices may vary depending on the raw material quality used by the supplier. We suggest our customers to be very careful against extremely cheap prices in the market. The production of apricots is rather difficult than normal years cause the farmers are blending their lower grade products with the good quality products this season. The factories should be very careful at production to select every single berry on the production line to keep the quality of the final product as high as possible. It is a fact that crop 2011 is one of the most difficult product qualitywise which the market experienced in the last 10 years.

The demand from the buyers is stabile especially for November – January shipments these days therefore the prices are staying stabile or showing small increases although the US$ currency increased a lot against Turkish Lira this week. 1 US$ is equal to 1,86 TL at the moment which can be considered a high level and a positive parameter for the final export pricing.

We also would like to share the following statistics with you for the export quantities of dried apricots during the new season in comparision to last season.

 Please kindly find below our indicative price levels for the main types of apricots just to update your information.

• Type 2 apricots at US$ 4.600.-/Mt.

• Type 4 apricots at US$ 3.900.-/Mt.

• Type 6 apricots at US$ 3.650.-/Mt.

• Type 8 apricots at US$ 2.750.-/Mt.

• Diced apricots 8-10 mm at US$ 2.750.-/Mt.

• Industrial apricots at US$ 2.250.-/Mt.

All prices are FOB Izmir, Prompt shipments, Crop 2011, Subject To Final Confirmation.

As you know that the market is changing daily basis due to volatile market in Malatya as well as the currency issues. Please ask our special offers to refresh our busineses together as usual. We suggest all our customers to cover up their needs for the big sizes asap cause we are expecting further increase on prices in the coming weeks. We will be waiting for your inquiries.

Looking forward to hear from you.