Sultanas: A threat of total disaster?

November 2, 2016 at 2:59 PM , Der AUDITOR
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MANISA. Actually, the chlorpyrifos issue should long be off the table by now. Still, the traders in Turkey are very concerned.

Great uncertainty and stubbornly persistent rumours are the problem.

What happened?
As far as the traders are concerned, the EU is primarily responsible for the miserable situation. In summer, the EU was not able to come up with a uniform rule concerning sultanas containing traces of chlorpyrifos. Individual Member States reacted completely differently, instead. Some imposed transitional periods, while others implemented strict guidelines for the import of sultanas. Thus, an import ban for sultanas with a chlorpyrifos content of >0.01 mg/kg has been declared effective since 10. August 2016. This unclear situation raises several questions.

Lack of trust
What happens, for instance, if sultanas with a higher chlorpyrifos content were imported to England, with intent to sell them to Germany. In addition to that, reports say, the trust of buyers in Turkey has been damaged. Many buyers may doubt that growers in Turkey will do without the pesticide totally. That is why fears have been voiced that they might switch to other origins, such as China and Iran. Although, it is questionable if these sources pay attention to better quality.

Stable market
These doubts and worries are fuelled by the currently stable Turkish market situation, which probably provides traders with ample time to ponder issues. Prices have remained unchanged this week. Only the strong Euro exchange rate has caused price decreases. The prices can contend with those of China and Iran without any problems, and are expected to be able to hold the stable level in November.  

sultanas, Turkey

type

USD/mt

EUR/mt

grade A, type 8, STD  

1,200

1,100

grade A, type 9, STD  

1,300

1,181

grade A, type 10, STD  

1,450

1,318

organic, grade A, type 9  

2,050

1,880

FOB Izmir

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sultanas, grade A, type 9, STD, 2,21 - 1

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