The Ministry and the Governorship intervened and obtained a yield of 400 tons from the lands where it was said that strawberries could not grow in one year.

The strawberries, which came to life in the soil with the "Touch to Strawberry Project" in Ağrı, became an income for the farmers and an alternative for the industry. 400 tons of yield was obtained in 1 year.

In Ağrı, for the first time, in order to increase the income of farmers and diversify agricultural production in the region, the "Touch to Strawberry Project" financed by 90% grant support in 2021 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ağrı Governorship, 200 tons of strawberries were collected last year. With the "Touch to Strawberry Project", which was redesigned due to the yield obtained from strawberries and high demand, a total of 170 farmers were supported to establish a 100-decare strawberry garden with 90% grant and 10% farmer contribution. With these supports, farmers who produce achieved a yield of 400 tons in 1 year.

"WE ARE IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENT PROJECTS TO INCREASE PRODUCT VARIETIES"

Ağrı Governor Mustafa Koç, who participated in the strawberry harvest together with the farmers in Ağrı, stated that Ağrı is prominent in terms of agriculture and animal husbandry, and many fruits and vegetables that were said not to grow in the soil have come to life with the support given to the farmers, and said, "With the arrival of the summer season, in our border city, one of the highest cities in Turkey, in the city of agriculture, in the city of animal husbandry, we have started the harvest season where our farmers can get the reward for their labor and sweat. Today, we are in the strawberry harvest. Ağrı is an agricultural city. It has very beautiful and fertile plains. Despite having very high yields and cultivation areas in products such as cereals, sugar beet, sunflower, potatoes, beans, and feed crops, we, as the governorship, continue to implement different projects in order to increase the yields and product varieties of our farmers who make a living from agriculture. "

"WE EXPECT 400 TONS OF YIELD FROM STRAWBERRIES THIS YEAR"

Governor Koç said, "In terms of both modern agricultural techniques and increasing product yield, we recently distributed fruit seedlings to our farmers in order to develop fruit growing. We also distributed vegetable seedlings in order to develop vegetable growing. In Ağrı, it is said that strawberries are difficult to grow, but our farmers, with our support and the project we have implemented, have proven to us, our fellow citizens, and all of Turkey that strawberries can be grown in Ağrı both in terms of aroma and yield. We call this project 'Touch to Strawberry Project'. It started in Ağrı about three years ago. It was implemented for a total of 100 decares with the contribution of 90% from our state and 10% from the farmers, and it continues to increase both in terms of cultivation areas and products every year. This year, we have a cultivated strawberry area of ​​100 decares in Ağrı, with a yield of 4 tons per decare. We expect a yield of 400 tons."

"WE EXPECT OUR FARMERS TO EARN 16 MILLION LIRA"

Stating that when considering the market conditions, they expect farmers to earn about 16 million lira from here, Governor Koç said, "This is a good figure for Ağrı scale. Our farmers are really making great efforts to support and develop the projects we have implemented, both for themselves and for us. In order for them to receive the reward for their labor, we will continue to support them in every field, including consultancy fees, modern farming equipment, seedling support, irrigation, etc. Let them continue to produce. We will always be by their side. We see that they are very happy when we go to the fields. They always demand better and more. In order to meet their demands, we are making efforts to diversify and increase our projects."

"WE WILL CONTINUE WITH SUCH PROJECTS"

Emphasizing that the demands have increased after seeing the yield obtained by farmers with the "Touch to Strawberry Project", Governor Koç said, "After seeing the possibility of strawberries, the demand increased. In order to expand its areas, we have seen that fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, and cherries can be good in our province with our previous example gardens, and we will continue with such projects in order to popularize them. In this regard, I wish all farmers in Ağrı a harvest season where they can receive the reward for their labor without any accidents or troubles."

Governor Mustafa Koç, who pointed out that farmers should be sensitive about stubble fires, which have been on the agenda of Turkey recently, said, "I want to make a warning here. The wheat harvest will start in about a month. Unfortunately, stubble fires have been on the agenda of our country recently. We have experienced painful incidents. We have had casualties and property losses. I say may God have mercy on those who died. I wish urgent healing to our injured. In order to prevent similar incidents, we know that stubble burning disrupts the ecological structure of the soil and the balance of nature and reduces its yield, so we invite our farmers to be sensitive and careful about this issue.

I wish them once again a safe, trouble-free, prosperous and fruitful harvest season.