Energy Use and Carbon Emissions of Dried Apricot Production in Türkiye

Abstract This study examines the energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of dried apricot production in Turkey. Using data collected from 285 dried apricot producers during the 2019–2020 production season, energy inputs and outputs, net energy, and carbon emissions were analyzed. The findings show that the energy output is 16,103.4 MJ ha⁻¹, and dried apricots account for 86.8% of the energy output with an energy value of 13,972.1 MJ ha⁻¹, while the apricot kernels obtained as a by-product have an energy value of 2,131.3 MJ ha⁻¹ and account for 13.2%. The Energy Use Efficiency (EUE) of dried apricot production was calculated as 0.56. For dried apricot production, 1 MJ of energy consumption corresponds to 0.56 MJ of energy, indicating a relatively high energy input compared to the output. The primary energy inputs required for production are electricity (59.62%) and manpower (12.38%). In dried apricot production, NRE (86.2%) energy inputs are significantly higher than RE (13.8%). Total greenhouse gas emissions from dried apricot production were determined to be 3,034.2 kg CO 2-eq ha⁻¹. Energy-efficient technologies must be used in dried apricot production.