Harvest begins in Silifke: Prices are burning pockets

The harvest of plums grown on 6 thousand 500 decares of land in Silifke has begun. Due to frost events this year, the yield remained low, and the price per kilogram of plums varies between 150 and 450 liras depending on quality. The harvested plums are sold in the domestic market and are also exported to the Netherlands, Germany, England, Dubai, and other Arab countries.

A DIFFICULT YEAR IN PLUM PRODUCTION

Zeynep Akay, who has been producing plums for 35 years, expressed the difficulties she faced due to this year's low yield. Akay said, 'Every year, we used to harvest approximately 12 tons of plums from our 10-decare land. However, this year, due to the harsh winter, we were only able to get 2 tons of product. When labor costs are added, this season has been quite difficult.'

CHALLENGES IN EXPORTS

Plum trader Burhan Özgen explained the problems they encountered during the export process. Özgen stated, 'I have been trading plums for 4-5 years. This year, the yield is one-third of last year's. Exports have just started; we are sending plums to the Netherlands, Germany, England, Dubai, and Arab countries. However, prices are low and the other side demands higher quality products. We are having difficulty setting prices. There is demand, but we cannot meet it sufficiently. We hope it will be better in the future.'

News Source: 12punto