18.08.2026 17:21
Yıldıray Karabaş, who applied to the 'Strawberry Cultivation Project' in Ağrı with the aim of producing as a hobby, started cultivation on his 500 square meters of land. After obtaining a bountiful yield, Karabaş increased his production to 2.5 acres of land and said, "It is very hard to maintain, but the money is also very good. It gets to 15 degrees here at night, and 21 degrees during the day in summer. This is ideal for strawberries."
Yildiray Karabas, who grows strawberries at an altitude of 1840 meters in the Eleşkirt district of Ağrı, increased his production from 500 square meters to 2.5 decares with a 75 percent grant support from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.
The Ağrı Special Provincial Administration launched the 'Strawberry Cultivation Project'. In the project, which aims to increase strawberry production in the city and support producers, with a 75 percent grant support, 3,000 strawberry seedlings per person for an area of 500 square meters, along with drip irrigation pipes, mulch film, and necessary materials, were distributed to 100 producers. Yildiray Karabas, living in the Kazım Karabekir Neighborhood of Eleşkirt, who applied to the project to produce as a hobby, started strawberry cultivation on his 500 square meter land. Karabas, who obtained abundant products and income from the seedlings on his land, increased his production to 2.5 decares of land. Producing nearly 2 tons of product per decare, Karabas managed to produce nearly 5 tons of strawberries on his land.
"THE TEMPERATURE IN THE REGION IS IDEAL FOR STRAWBERRIES"
Yildiray Karabas said, "There was no strawberry cultivation here before. I started it as a hobby. Thanks to the support provided, we increased production to 2.5 decares of land. Our strawberries are good. We currently get 1.5-2 tons of product per decare. I package the products on order, and they come and pick them up. When the yield is good, working becomes enjoyable. Its care is very difficult, but the money is also very good. If they can take care of it, strawberry cultivation, which has the best aroma in our region, is really very good. Here it is 15 degrees at night, and 21 degrees during the summer days. This is ideal for strawberries. It both makes the aroma high quality and makes the product more delicious".
PROJECT WORTH 6 MILLION LIRAS
Yildiray Karabas also hosted the harvest program this year. In the program attended by Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Mehmet Hüseyinoğlu and producers, strawberry harvesting was carried out. Stating that they established 500 square meter strawberry gardens for 100 growers within the scope of the project they carried out in 2026, Hüseyinoğlu said, "From seedling distribution to drip irrigation systems and equipment, a complete garden setup was carried out. Approximately 1.5 million of the 6 million lira project was the farmer contribution share, and the remaining 4.5 million was realized with special administration support."
"WE EXPECT A STRAWBERRY HARVEST OF AROUND 150-200 TONS"
Hüseyinoğlu said, "In Ağrı, especially due to climatic conditions, since the night and day temperature differences are high, we obtain a very delicious product with a high sugar content and aroma. In this sense, we are trying both to encourage our producers and to increase strawberry production. The yield per decare of strawberries varies between 1.5-2 tons. With the support we provided this year, we expect a strawberry harvest of around 150-200 tons from the gardens we established on 50 decares and the gardens established earlier."