The harvesting of the Santa Maria variety of pears has started in Bursa, a northwestern city in Turkey. Gursu Valley in Bursa produces 60% of all the Santa Maria pears in Turkey. Farmers are satisfied with the high yield and the prices.
Despite bad weather conditions, pears were not damaged at all. Farmers harvested 100 thousand tons of pears this season, 60% of which are being exported to Europe, Russia and Middle Eastern countries. Producers sell them for 2 Turkish Lira (0,3 Euro) per kilo.
Gursu's Mayor, Mustafa Isik, visited farmers while they were collecting pears and helped them with a bucket in hand. Mayor Isik said: "We've started to harvest Santa Maria pears and we have good markets both in the country and abroad. We produce pears in an area of 2500 hectares. Gursu Valley grows 60% of Santa Maria pears in Turkey. The quality is higher this year compared to previous seasons."
Mayor Isik also shared some figures on exports:
"Last year, we exported 60% of our pears. This year we aim to increase our exports to 80%. Last year, we earned 70 million Turkish Lira (11,2 million Euro) from pears, this year we expect to earn 80 to 85 million Turkish Lira (12,8 to 13,6 million Euro)."
Source: HaberinAdresi
