The “red-shelled” pistachio, which is one of the important agricultural products of the Southeastern Anatolia Region and is consumed as a snack, is picked from the branch by the workers who start working in the early hours. Pistachio producer Mahmut Bozkurt said, “Pistachio is very important to us. Because pistachio means income, it means that the producer, worker, transporter and industrialist win.”
Pistachio, one of the important agricultural products of the Southeastern Anatolia Region, makes the producers smile with its income. Farmers, who started the harvest of “grey” pistachios used in baklava at the beginning of August, collect “red-shelled” pistachios, which are consumed as snacks these days. Farmers, who come to the gardens in the early hours, separate pistachios from their branches until the sunset.
Pistachio producer Mahmut Bozkurt told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they started their working hours by having breakfast together in the early hours.
Stating that they then dispersed in groups in the garden and the collection process was carried out, Bozkurt said, “Every year, this rush continues until the end of September. This year, the yield is a little low, but the prices given are still pleasing to us. Pistachio is very important to us. Because pistachio means income, it means that the producer, worker, transporter and industrialist win. For this reason, pistachios are very important and valuable for us.”
Aziz Kilic, one of the agricultural workers, stated that he works in pistachio gardens every year.
Explaining that they are used to the hard work hours, Kilic said, “But sometimes the temperatures reaching 45 degrees make us difficult. Despite everything, we try to collect the pistachios from their branches and deliver them to the consumers. In a sense, God increases our strength. There is little time left for the season to end. With God’s permission, we will complete the process without any problems.”
THERE IS DEMAND IN THE DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MARKETS
Nizip Mayor Mehmet Sari, who offered baklava to the workers he visited from time to time in his gardens, emphasized that pistachio is an important item for the economy of the region, especially for Gaziantep.
Indicating that Nizip has significant potential in terms of production and processing in Gaziantep, Sari said:
“Due to its genetic structure, pistachio yields a lot in one year, the next year the rate drops. We call it the ‘year of existence’ or ‘year of extinction’. Pistachio is experiencing a year of extinction this year and therefore we are living in a period when the yield is low. Currently, the largest production and trade of pistachios is carried out in our district. Here, we are in an effort to carry the pistachio of our region to better points with the support we will give to the pistachio producers and the companies that trade. We have many businesses and industrial establishments that make an effort to process our pistachio and make it an industrial product. Our pistachios processed in these enterprises are directed to the domestic market and export. We are faced with a serious purchase group from abroad, which relieves our farmers.”
Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz