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One of the presentations richest in commercial content came from Çağın Şen, Director of abbGrowers Tarım Ticaret Limited Şirketi, part of ABB Growers, an international group with presence in 24 countries, specialized in blueberry marketing.
ABB Growers operates in Turkey with both Sekoya varieties and open varieties, marketing the product in the fresh, organic and frozen segments. The company represents a solid model of logistic integration, with 87% of orders managed directly from headquarters, thus ensuring high quality standards and supply continuity for European retailers.
During the presentation it was highlighted that Turkey has increased its blueberry exports by 45%, with main destinations being the UK, Germany, Russia and Poland.
The speaker clearly emphasized the opportunities but also the risks linked to such rapid growth:
- Turkey is strengthening its position on the global blueberry market,
- The rapid expansion of plantations may cause oversupply by 2027 in the domestic market,
- Cold chain and certification will be critical factors for access to EU markets,
- A strategy of commercial partnerships with retailers in the UK, DE and PL is recommended to ensure structured outlets and added value,
- Export clusters (“Turkish Blueberry Hub”) can help balance the market and consolidate positioning.
Climate impact and resilience
My presentation “Berries under Pressure — Adapting Berry Production to Climate Change Challenges” was dedicated to the impact of climate change on the physiology and production management of blueberry, raspberry and strawberry, and on adaptation strategies.
I illustrated medium- to long-term climate trends (2030–2050) for the Mediterranean area: reduction of seasonal rainfall, decrease in chill hours and significant increase in evaporative demand. I stressed the need to adopt forward-looking agronomic strategies:
- site planning with a 2040 vision,
- varietal choice consistent with future climate scenarios,
- precision management of water and substrates,
- more robust infrastructures and automated microclimate control systems,
- prevention of recurring mistakes such as excessive density, unbalanced irrigation or improper shading.
The goal: increase climate resilience and maintain productivity and quality even under less favorable environmental conditions.
Strategies and market windows
The commercial group Bessies (speaker: Lukas Wennekers) gave a blunt reading of the markets: in strawberry, supply gaps are widening (labor, costs, water/climate); raspberry has progressively shifted from Spain to Portugal but above all to Morocco (climate and costs), while blackberry is expanding but with still variable quality.
For Turkey there is concrete room in the Middle East and Southeast Asia during “seasonal gaps” of others: the goal is not to produce more, but to produce better in targeted windows with high quality standards.
Agricultural innovation in Turkey
- Yaltir (speaker: Ahmet Yaltir) — company with roots in the 1800s; integrated pathway from plant production to export and accelerated diversification after the Russian embargo.
- Saffirberry (speaker: Murat Aysan) — focus on labor/harvest cost, mechanization and access to new global genetics: as a nursery it can supply the regional market with NHB Titanium, MegasBlue; SHB Maverick, Gladiator; nursery with tissue culture.
- Levent Sarilgan — case of innovation: soilless strawberry (~150 t), raspberry in pots (120,000 pots, target 250,000 plants) and blueberry, exploiting a favorable microclimate with modern techniques. (Data reported by the speaker; no slides among the uploaded files.)
These three examples tell the story of an Agricultural Turkey in rapid motion: from nursery tradition to process modernization and product range expansion.
Genetics and integrated strategy
If there is a cross-cutting message, it is that genetics is a starting point, not an end point.
The right varieties, combined with modern cultivation techniques, smart production windows and organized supply chains, can transform Turkey from an emerging origin into a strategic Mediterranean player.
- Fresh Forward (strawberry) → climate breeding, market windows, retail channels and partnership with Yaltir.
- ABB Growers (blueberry) → open and Sekoya varieties, logistic integration, export positioning and strategic vision.
- Fall Creek (Andrea Pergher) → consumer ↔ producer balance in breeding.
- BetterBerries (my presentation) → climate resilience as a technical prerequisite.
- FAO (Jevhen Kuzin) → macro framework, geopolitical challenges and new opportunities for producers.
Future perspectives
The Turkish Berry Forum was not a self-referential conference: it was a place of concrete exchange, where breeders, buyers and producers spoke the same language — that of professionalization.
For Turkey, a historic window is opening: the chance to occupy strategic spaces in strawberry and blueberry, and to consolidate raspberry and blackberry. But to do so, it will take coordination, smart investments, suitable genetics and climate resilience.
Marco Butera
Agronomic consultant
