Local workers cannot be found in Giresun: African students have started working in hazelnut gardens.

African students studying at the university in Giresun earn their pocket money by working in hazelnut gardens.

Hazelnut harvest continues in Giresun, where the world's highest quality hazelnuts are produced. The increasing costs of local workers and everyone focusing on their own hazelnut harvest are leading producers to seek alternative solutions for hazelnut picking.

Hazelnut producers in Giresun, inspired by African workers working in tea gardens in Rize, also found a similar solution. In this context, hazelnut producers in Giresun contacted students from Guinea, Cameroon, and Zambia who are studying at Giresun University, and found a solution to their own problem while helping the students earn their pocket money.

Hazelnut producer Bekir Bayram said that African students working in hazelnut harvest in Giresun play an important role in meeting the labor needs of producers.

'DIFFICULT TO FIND LOCAL WORKERS'

Bayram said, "It is quite difficult to find local hazelnut workers. They either demand very high daily wages or cannot help others due to the intensity of their own work. This situation led us to search for alternatives. I offered the African friends of my son, who is studying at Giresun University, and we started picking hazelnuts together. They can work without feeling foreign even in challenging terrains and they do not fall behind local workers. I am very satisfied with their performance and adaptation. I am planning to work with them in the coming years as well."

'I COVER MY EXPENSES WITHOUT BEING A BURDEN TO MY FAMILY'

Gift Muyenga, a student at Giresun University from Zambia, stated that he covers his school expenses by picking hazelnuts. Muyenga said, "I didn't know what hazelnuts were before coming to Giresun. I am learning and picking them here. The most challenging part for me is the terrain conditions because our geography is flat, while here it is sloping. Going up and down in the terrains is tiring, but there are no other difficulties. I have been a student in Giresun for 4 years, sometimes I go back to my country but when I find a job, I work. This year, I found a hazelnut picking job as well. When I leave here, I will take some hazelnuts with me to give to my family and maybe I will consider writing something about my memories in Giresun."