Savorless Chinese chestnuts on sale like local

ISTANBUL

While Chinese chestnuts brought to the country as feed for animals were put on sale in the markets, experts have said that this cheap chestnut biologically damages the local chestnut.

With the arrival of the winter season, it is claimed that Chinese chestnuts are sold as local chestnuts. These chestnuts are also difficult to distinguish from local chestnuts.

While the price of local chestnuts reaches 200-350 Turkish Liras, Chinese chestnuts are sold for 100-150 liras. In chestnut production areas, the damage caused by the gall wasp, which is called a pest, to buds, flowers and fruits also reduces the yield of chestnuts.

Prof. Dr. Oğuzhan Sarıkaya, a faculty member at Bursa Technical University, stated that the chestnut gall wasp is an invasive species and said, “This insect species is a species that did not exist in Türkiye and it was first detected on chestnut saplings in Yalova and then spread to Bursa. It has now spread to all chestnut fields in the country.”

The municipal teams inspected Chinese chestnuts in the markets in Istanbul’s Esenler district.

“The criteria we use to identify Chinese chestnuts is that they are large-grained and the price is affordable. The fact that the price is affordable and large-grained increases our suspicion,” said Savaş Mazlum, the regional constabulary chief of Esenler Municipality.

“If it is determined that the chestnuts are Chinese, we will take the necessary legal action against the person concerned and all the goods here will be taken by us to be destroyed,” he added.

HH Food inspection before New Year's Eve

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that a total of 1.3 million inspections and 535 million Turkish Liras in fines have been carried out in 2023 during simultaneous inspections of food production and sales places on a sectoral basis.

Yumaklı said that the production, sales and mass consumption places of nuts, bakery products, chicken meat and beverages, where a lot of shopping is done before New Year's Eve, will be checked.