01.11.2026 16:40
In the Ahlat district of Bitlis, one of Turkey's important potato production centers, potatoes weighing close to 3 kilograms came out of producer Fatih Ak's field. The giant potatoes, grown without any special work, surprised the citizens who came to buy them. According to Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry data, Bitlis ranks first in Turkey in potato yield with 4,361 kilograms per decare.
Potato harvest continues in Ahlat, one of the important agricultural centers of the Eastern Anatolia Region. While some of the potatoes harvested weigh more than 2 kilograms, the largest approach 3 kilograms.
NO SPECIAL WORK WAS DONE
Table and seed potatoes grown in Ahlat, which stands out for its fertile soil and extensive agricultural land, are sent to different regions of Türkiye as well as to markets abroad. Fatih Ak, who produces potatoes in the district, carried out normal table potato production without doing any special work. Some of the products Ak harvested exceeded 2 kilograms, while the largest approached 3 kilograms.
BIG ENOUGH FOR A MEAL FOR SEVERAL PEOPLE
Citizens who came to the producer to buy potatoes were astonished when they saw products far above the sizes they were used to. While it attracted attention that some potatoes were large enough on their own for a meal for several people, citizens recorded the giant potatoes with their mobile phones.
"WE ARE USED TO IT NOW"
Fatih Ak, who stated that they have been producing potatoes in Ahlat for many years, said that they produce different varieties for seed, table, frying and chips. Ak said, "Among the potatoes we produce, sometimes large, gigantic products like this can appear. Especially citizens who come to buy potatoes are surprised when they see potatoes of this size. We are used to it now; during our production we can encounter potatoes of similar size. Seeing the citizens' interest and having the products we grow attract attention in this way makes us happy too," he said.
Veysel Tüzün, who came to buy potatoes, stated that he saw a potato of this size up close for the first time in his life.
BITLIS IS AT THE TOP IN YIELD
According to the 2025 Potato Crop Report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Bitlis ranked 9th in Türkiye in 2024 with 310,937 tons of potato production. The city was shown in first place in the 2025 productivity ranking with a yield of 4,361 kilograms per decare. In Bitlis, where potato production is carried out on more than 50,000 decares in the Ahlat, Tatvan and Adilcevaz districts, a harvest of 250,000 tons was expected in 2025. Potato production also provides employment for thousands of seasonal agricultural workers in the region.
WORLD RECORD IS 4 KILOGRAMS 980 GRAMS
Potatoes of similar size had been grown in Türkiye before. It was reported in the press that a potato weighing approximately 3 kilograms was grown in the Derinkuyu district of Nevşehir in 2024. According to Guinness World Records, the world's heaviest potato was recorded as a 4-kilogram 980-gram potato grown in England in 2011.