Manisa, a city located in the west of Turkey is known to provide one of the first harvests of the northern hemisphere. Their first harvest is expected in mid-April. Producers are also looking forward to exporting Turkish cherries to China for the first time this year.
The Sancaklibozkoy neighborhood, located in Manisa's Sehzadeler district, has a special microclimate which is suitable for cherry trees. The neighborhood is getting ready for the first harvest of the year. Producers said that they are satisfied with the production and the opportunity to enter the Chinese market for the first time. According to the 2018 data provided by Manisa Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Manisa exported 32 thousand 808 tons of cherries to mainly European countries, then to Russia, Canada and Far Eastern countries. This season the export volume is expected to be higher.
Huseyin Altindag, president of the Agricultural Chamber in Sehzadeler district visited Sancaklibozkoy before the harvest.
"A productive season ahead"
Emphasizing that the first cherries of the northern hemisphere comes from Sancaklibozkoy, Altindag said: "Our cherries have already started to grow and will be ready soon. We hope that the weather conditions will not cause any damage to our products. In the meantime, I must warn our farmers about diseases and insecticides. They need to use insecticides in a way that won't leave any residues. We expect to have a productive season and we hope that our sales will be successful too. These cherries will be exported so our exporters need to make good deals."
Ozgur Azili, a cherry producer said: "The quality of our cherries is very good this year. Around April 15th. we will harvest the first cherries of the northern hemisphere. Productivity is higher this season. We apply insecticides without additives. We have a variety of cherries like Salihli and Napoleon. Last year, we produced 100 tons of cherries in our orchard and we exported 60 tons of those."
Source: Milliyet