24.10.2026 14:32
Chestnut harvest has begun in 20 rural neighborhoods in the Demirci district of Manisa. About 1,100 tons of product are expected this season from 50,800 trees in an area of 4,300 decares. It was stated that no agricultural pesticides were used in the care of the chestnuts, which find buyers at 170 to 210 TL per kilogram depending on their size, and that the product is preferred by confectionery factories in Bursa.
Chestnut harvest has begun in the Demirci district of MANİSA. This season, approximately 1,100 tons of produce are targeted from 50,800 trees located on 4,300 decares of land in the district. Chestnuts find buyers at between 170 and 210 TL per kilogram, depending on their size.
HARVEST SHIFT IN 20 NEIGHBORHOODS
Producers in 20 rural neighborhoods, particularly Çanakçı, Rahmanlar, Mahmutlar, Yarbasan, Söğütçük and Kargınışıklar connected to the Demirci district, have begun the chestnut harvest shift. In Çanakçı Neighborhood, where production is most intense, producers knock the chestnuts off the trees with poles, while women collect the burs with gloves and transfer them to baskets. The collected chestnuts are placed in pits together with ferns brought from the mountains and left to rest for 2 to 3 months. This method makes it easier to separate the chestnuts from their shells. Chestnuts not kept in pits are consumed by boiling them in pots at home.
WE KEEP ALIVE THE HERITAGE FROM OUR ANCESTORS WITHOUT USING CHEMICALS
Çanakçı Neighborhood Headman Şerif Dönmez, noting that chestnut production in Demirci has a deep-rooted history, wished that the 2026 harvest season would pass safely and abundantly for all producers. Stating that they use animal manure in the care of chestnuts and do not apply agricultural pesticides, Dönmez said, “The care of our chestnuts is carried out entirely naturally with animal manure, and absolutely no agricultural pesticides are used in production. We continue production with the same naturalness as God Almighty has given. We carry on this valuable heritage left to us by our ancestors in the best possible way, and we will leave it to our grandchildren after us. The flavor of our chestnuts, coming from their soil, water, air and the cool climate at an altitude of 1,200 meters, is very distinctive. Confectionery factories in Bursa especially prefer our chestnuts. This year, depending on their caliber, chestnuts find buyers at a kilogram price of between 170 and 210 TL,” he said.
CHESTNUTS WAITING IN THE PIT SWELL
Also explaining the process of keeping chestnuts in pits, Dönmez said, “After shaking the chestnuts down, we lower them into the pit; we cover the bottom and top with ferns we collect from the mountain. Chestnuts that wait in the pit for 2-3 months swell even more. There is absolutely no chemical pesticide in the product; we plow with a tractor and process it, and it does not require much care anyway. Our chestnuts, which are fed completely naturally, stand out with their quality,” he said.