Malatya's leading table apricot varieties, and the EU-protected status behind the world's dried apricot capital.
The apricot traveled from Central Asia to Anatolia along the Silk Road, and it found its true home in the Euphrates Valley around Malatya, where a continental climate of cold winters and hot, dry summers supplies exactly the conditions the tree needs. The scale of that fit is hard to overstate: Malatya alone accounts for roughly 80-85% of the world's dried apricot production, and Turkey as a whole supplies over 90% of the global dried apricot market and around 72% of world dried apricot exports. In 2017, Malatya Kayısısı (Malatya Apricot) received EU Protected Designation of Origin status, placing it in the same legal category as Aydın fig and Taşköprü garlic. Apricot reaches a late peak in August with the Kabaaşı variety, the last of the season after Hasanbey and Şekerpare.
Hasanbey: the main export variety
Hasanbey is Malatya's leading table apricot and its main export variety — an orange-yellow, medium-to-large, sweet-flavored fruit that suits both fresh eating and export, peaking in July just ahead of Kabaaşı. The chilling the trees receive during Malatya's continental winter plays a direct role in the variety's regular yield year to year.
Kabaaşı: the dual-purpose native variety that closes the season
Kabaaşı is one of Malatya's oldest native apricot varieties and the last to peak, in August. It's genuinely dual-purpose: its large-to-medium, yellow-orange fruit is eaten fresh, and its high dry-matter content also makes it well suited to the region's famous dried apricot production — the same fruit feeding both the fresh table market and the drying trade that gives Malatya its global weight.
Şekerpare, Alyanak, and the early-season imports
Şekerpare, a small-to-medium local variety named for its high sugar content, peaks in July just before Kabaaşı and is prized for intense sweetness and aroma. Earlier in the season, Alyanak (large, with a red blush, harvested in June) and the Italian-origin Ninfa and French-origin Tomcot (both harvested in early May along the Mediterranean coast) open the export calendar months before Malatya's own harvest begins — giving Turkey an apricot supply window that runs from May through August.
Two different leaderboards: fresh and dried
Turkey's apricot leadership actually splits into two separate rankings. In dried apricot, the position is close to unrivaled — Turkey supplies over 90% of the world's dried apricot market and around 72% of world dried apricot exports. In fresh apricot, the picture is more competitive: Turkey ranks 2nd in the world in fresh apricot export value, behind only Spain, with Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Romania, and Iraq as its leading destination markets. Export-grade apricot is sized on a letter-caliber scale from C (30-35 mm) up through B, A, AA, and AAA to AAAA (55-60 mm), and typically ships in a 30×50×10 cm single-layer carton at 2-3 kg net (160 boxes per pallet), a smaller 17×26×10 cm carton at 2 kg net (420 boxes per pallet), or a bruise-preventing 5 kg single-layer tray carton favored in international markets.
Because ripe apricots are delicate and ripen only to a limited degree after picking, getting them through the cold chain quickly is essential to preserving quality — see our cold chain guide for how we manage that, and our August harvest guide for how Kabaaşı fits into that month's broader calendar. You can visit our Apricot product page for full variety, caliber, and packaging detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of the world's dried apricots come from Malatya?
Malatya alone accounts for roughly 80-85% of the world's dried apricot production, with Turkey as a whole supplying over 90% of the global dried apricot market.
What is Malatya Apricot's EU status?
Malatya Kayısısı (Malatya Apricot) received EU Protected Designation of Origin status in 2017.
Does Turkey also lead in fresh apricot exports, not just dried?
Not quite — Turkey ranks 2nd in the world in fresh apricot export value, behind Spain, even though it holds around 72% of the dried apricot export market.