Local strawberry boom reshaping rural economies

ISTANBUL

The active promotion of strawberry cultivation as a means to bolster agriculture and farmers’ income has been gaining momentum, particularly in the central province of Konya and Batman in the southeast of Türkiye.

Notably, the districts of Hüyük in Konya and Sason in Batman are leading the charge, boasting organically grown strawberries and fertile Anatolian soil.

The initiative, a part of efforts by provincial and district directorates of agriculture and municipalities to distribute free seedlings, has spurred rural development and reversed urban migration, with Hüyük emerging as a model project.

Its success has prompted a significant increase in strawberry cultivation, which started with a few thousand acres and now exceeds 20,000 acres.

As intermediary companies currently facilitate international sales, producers are eyeing government support for direct exports.

“Good yield and high price return from a small area please the farmer. As an alternative production, it has an increasing momentum in recent years. We also request support for export or processing without intermediaries,” said Ertuğrul Zedef, the president of Hüyük’s Agricultural Chamber.

Meanwhile, in Bartın’s Sason district, strawberry cultivation is providing a lucrative alternative to tobacco farming.

The upcoming harvest season, expected within 15 to 20 days, seems promising, driving optimism among farmers for a good yield.

This optimism is shared by Nizamettin Aydiş, the president of the Batman Chamber of Agriculture, who highlights the increasing recognition of Sason strawberries and their role in revitalizing rugged lands while attracting new producers to the agricultural sector.

“Sason strawberries produced under organic conditions have become more recognized in recent years,” he said. ”We see thousands of families returning to their districts and villages from the cities to cultivate strawberries. It will come to much better places with the support of farmers in marketing.”

This production, which provides high yield and return per unit area for small family businesses, draws attention as a natural example of rural development.

The first strawberries from Mersin’s Silifke district have already hit the market, with prices ranging from 10 to 60 Turkish Liras in Mersin and 35 to 70 liras in Istanbul, depending on quality.

Driven by organic practices, strawberry cultivation shows promise for economic revitalization in rural areas.