The production of strawberries, granted prestigious geographical indication in the southeastern province of Batman’s Sason district, has reached as much as 5,000 tons.
The government promoted the cultivation of strawberries in the district as an alternative to tobacco production five years ago.
Initially, four families took up the challenge in 2017 to plant strawberries. Now, over 400 families are involved in the business, producing 4,900 tons of strawberries this year on some 1.4 million square meters of land.
The locally produced strawberries received geographical indication last year.
“Strawberries produced in Sason has become a well-known brand in Turkey and abroad. We are hoping to increase the production, and this is achievable. We have enough manpower, land and eager farmers,” said Murat Mete, the district governor.
The government will offer grants to farmers who are willing to grow strawberries on an additional 1 million square meters of land this year, Mete added.
The strawberries produced in Sason are mostly sold in the nearby provinces in the region, such as Diyarbakır, Siirt, Bitlis and Muş, but there is also a huge demand from lots of factories in other provinces, including Bursa, Malatya and Konya, for the Sason strawberries, Mete said.
Hurriyet Daily News