Organic cherries benefiting farmers

In the last few years, throughout Turkey the cherry market has been experiencing its worst seasons with cherries being bought for between €0.15-0.30 a kilo while organic cherry growers were only able to sell their produce for  €0.55.

Under the leadership of export companies in the Pazarlar district in Kutahya, 20 willing volunteer producers began organic cherry growing, and the exporters are providing the natural pesticides and fertilizers for their use and the production is being supervised by agricultural engineers.

Cherry grower Abdullah Altintas comments the following : “Cherry season is a nightmare for us every year. This year, as organic cherry organisations joining together, we sold almost all of our cherry harvest. With no remnants of chemicals or synthetic pesticides remaining on our cherries, our consumers could eat them with peace of mind. We applied the natural pesticides and fertilizers given to us by the export companies to the letter.”

Celik Trading owner Arif Celik is coordinating organic cherry growing in the Pazarlar district. He states, “All of our producers will be legally obliged to implement good agricultural practices and organic farming in the coming years. We need to start preparing the infrastructure now. We are producing cherries which are good for people’s health. We are striving to produce cleaner and more natural cherries. We began producing organic cherries for the first time in the district with our 20 willing volunteer growers and I can say that it has been a success. The natural pesticides and fertilizers that we are using comply with international standards. No trace of non-organic fertilizers or chemicals remain on our organic cherries. There is nothing harmful in them to jeopardise people’s health.”

“In the last years we have suffered terrible cherry seasons with low prices, including organic farmers, and the situation was the same in all of Turkey.” Celik notes that all organic cherries are being exported abroad, “We have been growing cherries for years. Every year we suffer grievances from pesticide residues remaining on the cherries. We have circumvented these problems by moving to organic cherry production. We’re profiting, so is the country and consumers are eating all-natural cherries.” 

Source: milliyet.com.tr