06.11.2026 23:40
This year's mushroom abundance in the Ağlı district of Kastamonu has turned into an important source of income for the villagers. Citizens who enter the forest in the early morning hours contribute to their family budgets by selling the mushrooms they collect in the evening. While some villagers collect up to 150 kilograms of mushrooms a day, daily earnings can reach up to 12,000 lira in sales made at 70-80 lira per kilogram. Bülent Yanıkkaya, who buys mushrooms in the region, travels around the villages until 03:00 at night.
Villagers from Kastamonu who go into the forest in the morning are turning this year's abundance offered by nature into income. The increased quantity of mushrooms due to rainfall and warm weather has started a busy trading period in the region.
IT HAS BECOME A NEW SOURCE OF INCOME FOR VILLAGERS In the Ağlı district of Kastamonu, mushrooms have been growing intensively in forested areas in recent weeks. Especially in the area where Kanlıca mushrooms are abundant, citizens leave their homes early in the morning and collect mushrooms throughout the day. In the evening, the collected products are sold to buyers. Bülent Yanıkkaya, who runs a restaurant in the district, buys the mushrooms collected by the villagers and delivers them to wholesalers in different provinces. Yanıkkaya, who travels around the villages at the foothills of the Küre Mountains in his minibus, sometimes buys 1 to 1.5 tons of mushrooms.
HE TRAVELS FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE UNTIL 3:00 A.M. Drawing attention to the intensity of mushroom purchasing, Bülent Yanıkkaya explained that a productive season has been experienced in the region for about a month. Yanıkkaya said, 'Sometimes we travel around the villages until 02:00-03:00. There has been an abundance of mushrooms for about a month. There may be more, or it may stop depending on weather conditions. Because it is abundant all over our country, prices are a bit low.' Yanıkkaya, who stated that he delivers the mushrooms he collects to the domestic market and to exporting companies, used the following statements: 'I deliver the mushrooms I buy to wholesalers. They are sold in Istanbul, in our major cities, in the domestic market. I buy all kinds of mushrooms, such as Kanlıca, boletus, beef tongue, trumpet, and chicken leg. We also send to exporting companies.'
THEY COLLECT UP TO 150 KILOGRAMS IN ONE DAY The abundance of mushrooms in the region also changed the villagers' daily work routine. Sami Kaya, living in the Fırıncık village of Ağlı district, stated that they go into the forest as long as weather conditions permit, and said, 'We wander through fields and slopes. Depending on the weather, we try to go out every day.' Güler Kaya, who collects mushrooms with her husband, explained that they go to the forest after morning breakfast: 'We get up in the morning and go to the forest as soon as we have breakfast. I collect mushrooms with my husband in the forest. In the evening the mushroom buyer comes and takes them. It does not happen every year, but there are a lot of mushrooms this year. Sometimes two people collect up to 40 kilograms of mushrooms a day.'
Kenan Sipahi, living in Akdivan village, also stated that he especially collects Kanlıca mushrooms and said that the daily amount sometimes reaches 150 kilograms. Sipahi used the following statements: 'This is a blessing given by God, and also an income for the villagers. All kinds of dishes can be made from it. We collect an average of 100-120 kilograms a day, sometimes it reaches 150 kilograms. They come and buy it, and it becomes a very good income for the villagers.'
THEY COLLECT 80 KILOS IN 10 HOURS AND EARN 6,400 LIRA Hikmet Dana, one of the citizens collecting mushrooms, stated that he and his brother spent about 10 hours in the forest and collected 80 kilograms of mushrooms during that time. Dana said, 'In about 10 hours a day, we collected 80 kilos of mushrooms. We sell it for 70-80 lira per kilo. There are also people coming from other districts to collect.' If 80 kilograms of mushrooms are sold at 70-80 lira per kilo, the total daily sales amount ranges between 5,600 and 6,400 lira. At the same per-kilogram price, the sales value of 150 kilograms of mushrooms can reach 10,500 to 12,000 lira.