Following the success of banana and avocado cultivation, farmers in in Antalya's Alanya and Gazipasa district are now shifting their focus to mangoes that are highly profitable. One mango is sold for 50 Turkish Lira (7.93 Euro) per piece.
Due to its taste, both Turkish consumers and foreign residents in the area prefer local mangoes over imported mangoes. The increased popularity of mangoes led producers to steadily expand their mango orchards.
Adana Chamber of Agriculture's Chairman Tahir Goktepe said that mango has a high economic value and it is becoming increasingly popular.
Emphasising that the results of test planting were very good, Goktepe said: "In Alanya, we supported 220 producers, we have provided them with saplings. For the past two years, mango plantation area reached 15 hectares. Since the product is relatively new, we haven't attained the desired economic value yet. However, the interest in mangoes is growing. The product is resistant to cold weather. Once the newly planted saplings grow, in the coming harvests we expect higher yields."
100 mangoes per tree
Mango sapling producer Mustafa Ezici quit his job in Istanbul and moved to Alanya to work in tropical fruits business. For seven years now, he has worked in the mango business together with his partner Veli Celik.
"First, we started to grow mango saplings. So far, we have managed to sell 7,000 saplings. Three years after plantation, one can start collecting fruits. Once the tree is five years old, one can collect nearly 100 mangoes. This means 1.000 fruits in ten years per tree. Now, fruits are sold for 50 Turkish Lira (7.93 Euro) per piece. Since the current production does not meet the domestic need, we still import mangoes."
Ezici said that in Europe, 600.000 tons of mangoes are consumed per year and the size of the market is around 1.2 billion Euro. The global consumption of mangoes is around 46 million tons and the size of the global mango market is around 4 billion USD (3.62 billion Euro), Ezici emphasised. He contended that mango is five times more profitable than bananas.
"We're satisfied with the productivity and sales"
Sefa Oguz, a mango farmer in Gazipasa district, grows mangoes for four years now in an area of 0,2 hectare.
Expressing his content about growing mangoes, Oguz said: "Mango trees do not need a lot of water and care. We are satisfied with all the process from the productivity to the sales. I advise consumers to prefer mangoes over bananas. We do not use any chemicals on mangoes and actually we cannot because it would affect the taste. I plan to expand my mango orchards. I will launch a greenhouse of 1 hectare."
Mehmet Turkoz, salesman in farmers' market, said that customers are not satisfied with imported mangoes.
For the past two years, Turkoz has sold local mangoes. "Our customers find local mangoes expensive, however they like the taste. Once they buy one, they come again. The taste and the aroma is amazing." said Mehmet Turkoz.
Source: AA
