Harvest enthusiasm is experienced in cherries, where Turkey is the world leader in production and a strong player in exports. The first cherry harvest of the Northern Hemisphere was made in Manisa Şehzadeler District, Aşağı Çobanisa Neighborhood, one of Turkey's early cherry growing regions.
The first cherry of the season was bought for 800 TL per kilo in the symbolic auction.
It will be a year when we break records in cherry
Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association President Hayrettin Plane said, "I wish the cherry season, which we have started as of today, to bring abundance to our country, our producers and exporters. We are making the first cherry harvest of both our country and the Northern Hemisphere this year from our Manisa Şehzadeler district. Since this is an early region, it also heralds the arrival of spring. I can say that we will have a much more productive and fruitful cherry season compared to last year. We exported 57 thousand tons of cherries last year, if we do not experience any adverse weather conditions this season, I think we can reach the record-breaking 80 thousand tons and 200 million dollars levels again.” said.
We are the first in world production
President Plane said, “We rank first in world production of cherries, and our Turkish cherry is highly appreciated in countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and India, as well as in traditional markets such as Germany and Russia. If we can increase our share in new markets and extend the harvest and export season with new varieties, together with the producers, exporters, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Institutes and Universities, cherries have the potential to become our locomotive export product in the entire agricultural sector.” he said.
This year, the harvest is fruitful: Citizens will have enough of cherries
The District Governor of the Princes, Cemal Hüsnü Çaykara, also wished for a fruitful season and thanked all the farmers who contributed to Manisa, which produces the first cherry in the Northern Hemisphere.
Şehzadeler Deputy Mayor Bilal Demir said, “As far as we have talked to both our farmers and exporters, this year the harvest will be fruitful. We would like to thank our farmers, exporters and traders for their hard work. It will be a period when the citizens will have enough of the cherry." said.
Manisa is an important center in cherry production: 48 thousand 832 tons of production
Manisa Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Metin Öztürk talked about the place of Manisa in cherry production and said, “On April 19, 2023, we are carrying out the first cherry harvest of the Northern Hemisphere in the open field. By removing the first cherry in the Northern Hemisphere, we obtain a value-added product. It's a labor intensive job. The rights of our producers are not paid. Manisa is an important center for cherries. We are in the 48th place in production with 832 thousand 4 tons. We are in the second place in the field of cherry production. According to 2022 data, we have over 3 million 103 thousand cherry trees as a province. In the coming years, Manisa will go even higher in production. We are harvesting the early cherry Cristobalina variety, and we will bring it to the tables. Cherry is a precious product of ours that finds its place both in the domestic market and in exports.” said.
Emphasizing that Turkey is an agricultural country, MHP Manisa Deputy Candidate Ali Uçar said, “Agriculture is the foundation of the national economy. A country's economy suffers when there is no agriculture. 98 percent of our exports in agriculture return to our own country. Our producer works in his field day and night and brings these products to us, and we express our gratitude.” he said.
Şehzadeler District Governor Cemal Hüsnü Çaykara, Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association Chairman Hayrettin Flight, Manisa Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Director Metin Öztürk, MHP Manisa Deputy Candidate Ali Uçar, Şehzadeler District Gendarmerie Commander Major Özgür Can, producers and traders participated in the harvest program.