Apricot Harvest 2026: What Buyers Should Expect

The 2026 apricot season opened roughly ten days later than the five-year average. A cool, wet April slowed flowering in the Fergana valley, and while the delay caused some nervousness among buyers with fixed shipping windows, the outcome for quality has been positive.

Slower ripening produced fruit with higher dry matter. Across the lots we supervised, average moisture after drying came in at 20.4% against 21.8% last season, and sugar concentration was visibly higher on the refractometer. In practical terms, the fruit is denser and the colour holds better in the pack.

The trade-off is calibre. Fewer hot days meant fewer oversized fruit, so the 80-count grade is short this year while 100 and 120 counts are plentiful. Buyers who specify 80-count for retail should either book early or consider a mixed presentation.

On pricing, the shortfall in large calibres has pushed the premium grade up by around 8% against last season, while standard grades are flat. We expect the market to settle once Turkish volumes are fully priced in October.

Our recommendation for buyers planning a spring 2027 shelf reset: contract the volume now at fixed calibre, and keep the sulphur specification explicit in the contract rather than referring to a general standard. It removes the most common source of dispute at the destination port.